As the Palmer Ridge softball team shot confetti cannons on their home field Wednesday night, they weren’t just celebrating a 12-2 win over Cheyenne Mountain; they were celebrating each other. 

Wednesday was Senior Night for the Bears, who recognized five seniors in their last home game of the season. After Palmer Ridge created a 6-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, Cheyenne Mountain (16-5) went cold, and the Bears went on to score six runs in the sixth to extend their lead to 10. 

“There’s emotion with Senior Day,” first-year head coach Dion Arellano said. “You could see the emotion, but once they got dialed in, they were good.” 

With an 18-3 record, Palmer Ridge is having an electric season, and several players expressed that it’s because of a special bond the team has formed. 

“The team right now, all the elements off-field, the energy, camaraderie, backing each other up, has been huge,” Arellano said. “There have been no issues with drama in the dugout. Their bond is a huge part of why we are doing so good.” 

Three of the seniors, Corinna Arellano, Elizabeth Cook, and Haley Pettigrew have played all four years of high school softball together, but several players have known each other longer. 

For example, senior Tehani Lum-Perreira transferred from Sand Creek last year but has played with Arellano and others in U12 softball. Junior Pam Boyarko, Arellano, and Cook have played with each other since their Little League days. 

“This year has been amazing because of the bond we’ve had,” Lum-Perreira said. “Most girls I’ve had a bond with since we were 14, so coming back with them and spending every day with them has been amazing. Every girl who has played with me has stood by my side through everything, and I’m thankful.”

Even players like senior Macy Smith, who transferred from Florida this year, said she quickly felt like she became part of the team family.  

“They welcomed me with open arms,” Smith said.

“Many of our friendships have stemmed from a young age, but we have created an atmosphere that’s so welcoming and uplifting that every girl wants to support each other,” Corinna Arellano said. “We have a want for everyone to succeed; it’s not just an atmosphere where we want to succeed ourselves.”

The players not only want each other to succeed on the field, but in life. Last year when Pettigrew had a brain tumor, the team rallied around her and even wore stickers on their helmets that said ‘P4H,’ or ‘Pray for Haley.’

“It was really special,” Pettigrew said. “I don’t know what I’ll do next year without this softball team. I can’t think about it too much without crying.” 

The team’s culture of uplifting one another was on display Wednesday night when freshman Madilyn Westmoreland hit an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to secure the Bears’ victory over the Red-Tailed Hawks. 

As soon as the game was over, the whole team rushed the field to crowd around Westermoreland and joined in a flurry of hugs and screams in front of a cheering home crowd. 

“Our sadness and love for each other today made us come together,” Corinna Arellano said. “We found our way through our emotions today and used it to fuel us to play even better. We are going to work hard to play together for as long as we can.”