AURORA – Air Academy came so close Friday to eliminating four-time defending state champion Lutheran in the state softball quarterfinals.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t a game of horseshoes, nor did the Kadets lob a grenade. After the No. 12-seeded Kadets held the No. 4 Lions to one hit through six innings and built a 3-0 lead, the Kadets allowed four hits in the bottom of the seventh including a home run and lost 4-3.

The Kadets finished their game at Aurora Sports Park with six hits including two each from Alex and Keira Finkle. Alex Finkle also scored two of the Kadets’ three runs.

Air Academy took a 2-0 lead into the top of the seventh and Keira sent her sister home on an RBI double with two outs in the top of the seventh to increase the lead to 3-0.

But, after Lutheran trimmed the lead to 3-2, the Kadets allowed the final two runs after two outs and missed their shot at Saturday’s semifinals.

Despite the loss, Air Academy had a strong turnaround from 2024. The Kadets finished this year 18-8-1 with a trip to the quarterfinals one year after a 5-18 record.

The 13-game turnaround is the largest for the Kadets in recent history and ties their highest win total since 2016, when Air Academy finished 18-5.

The Classical Academy finishes 1-1 in 3A tournament in Aurora

Ada Wilson pitched a complete game in the first round against Lamar and torched the Thunder with 12 strikeouts.

That includes her final K in the eighth inning to give the No. 9 seed Titans a 4-3 win. Wilson finished in the circle with one earned run, allowed six hits and walked one Thunder batter for her first double-digit strikeout game in more than a month.

After the Titans and Thunder ended the seventh inning tied at 3-all, Carina Passarelli’s smooth baserunning gave TCA the lead. Passarelli advanced to first on an error, stole second and third, then watched the Thunder air mail a ball over her head at third base and advanced home in the top of the eighth.

Against top-seeded University, the Titans’ lone run came in the top of the sixth as Passarelli’s RBI single allowed Taytum Kimbro to score and cut the lead to 6-1. The Bulldogs stacked five runs in the bottom of the inning to advance to the semifinals.

Cheyenne Mountain falls to Severance in first round 

With only two hits, No. 9 Cheyenne Mountain fell to No. 8 Severance in the first round of the 4A state playoffs.

Severance recorded two runs in the bottom of the second inning while the Red-Tailed Hawks struggled on offense the entire contest. 

“We did well in the circle today, had some good defensive plays,” coach Kelly Cornejo said. “Our outfielders really backed us up today, but Severance had a good pitcher, and we just didn’t execute on offense.” 

Cheyenne Mountain ends its season with a 19-7 record, and Cornejo says the girls should leave with their heads high. 

“I’m extremely proud of those girls,” Cornejo said. “They had a wonderful season, facing adversity at the beginning of the season and then at the end of regionals. They handled it with grace and played their hearts out. I’m proud of the seniors and the legacy they will leave with this program.”

Widefield’s historic season ends in thrilling shootout with Frederick 

No. 11 Widefield fell to No. 8 Frederick 12-9 on Friday afternoon in the first round of the 4A bracket. 

The Gladiators trailed 9-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but eventually tied it at 9-9. However, Frederick came out on top with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to move on to the next round. 

Coach Nick Leonard is proud of how the girls fought to the end, even when the crowd at Aurora Sports Park may have counted them out after being down by four. 

“That’s what they do, these girls just fight, so I wasn’t surprised at all,” Leonard said. “Everyone in our dugout knew we weren’t done.”

Widefield hasn’t won a regional tournament since 2008, making this season an unforgettable one despite falling short of its goal of a state title. 

“I feel like we came in here without a lot of people knowing who we are,” Leonard said. “It’s been a long time since Widefield has made it this far and had a group like this. I feel like the expectations were pretty low for us, and we came in here and showed everyone we belonged. I can’t wait for next year, because we are coming back strong.”