The chariot to Aurora Sports Park awaits three area schools following Friday’s first day of softball regionals.

Palmer Ridge, Cheyenne Mountain and Air Academy each finished with two wins Friday and advanced to the 4A state softball tournament Oct. 24-25 in Aurora.

All three teams hosted a regional and Palmer Ridge displayed why it earned the No. 2 seed. The Bears played just six innings in their two contests and outscored Pueblo East and Roosevelt 33-3.

The Bears (21-4) secured a state berth for consecutive seasons and, with a victory next week, would set the school wins record with 22. The Bears set the record last after a 21-5-1 season.

Cheyenne Mountain and Air Academy each earned two wins and smiled in the face of elimination to do so. The Red-Tailed Hawks, the No. 7 seed, opened with a 15-3 victory over No. 26 Thornton, but fell 9-7 to No. 10 Pueblo County in the second round.

The Red-Tailed Hawks (19-6) torched No. 23 Northridge 12-2 in the consolation round to advance after Michaela Ewen’s three-hit, five-RBI outing in the win-or-go-home game.

Air Academy played just five innings in the first round against No. 25 Silver Creek and won 14-4. The No. 8-seeded Kadets trailed 6-1 in the second round and their rally fell shy in the bottom of the seventh as No. 9 Frederick took the regional crown 6-3.

But the Kadets (17-7-1) battled Silver Creek again in the consolation round and scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to run rule the Raptors 15-5 as Rideau Dravida tallied a team-high four hits and four RBIs in the win.

Several more area teams will compete for state berths Saturday: 5A’s Vista Ridge and Pine Creek; 4A’s Widefield and Discovery Canyon; and 3A’s The Classical Academy and Sand Creek aim to advance.

Regional results

Friday

5A

Region 2

No. 2 Cherokee Trail 10, No. 31 Liberty 0

4A

Region 2

No. 2 Palmer Ridge 15, No. 31 Pueblo East 0

No. 2 Palmer Ridge 18, No. 18 Roosevelt 3

Region 4

No. 4 Lutheran 11, No. 29 Mesa Ridge 1

Region 7

No. 7 Cheyenne Mountain 15, No. 26 Thornton 3

No. 10 Pueblo County 9, No. 7 Cheyenne Mountain 7

No. 7 Cheyenne Mountain 12, No. 23 Northridge 2

Region 8

No. 8 Air Academy 14, No. 25 Silver Creek 4

No. 9 Frederick 6, No. 8 Air Academy 3

No. 8 Air Academy 15, No. 25 Silver Creek 5