LITTLETON, Colo. — Only one year after the Columbine Rebels won their first-ever 5A state softball championship, the team has been all but eliminated from the state tournament after a 6-2 loss to Lakewood Wednesday night.
Due to the COVID-19 modifications, the state regionals were eliminated and the state tournament will be made up of the top-16 teams in each classification. The 16-team bracket will be made up of automatically qualified league champions, with the remaining teams qualified through CHSAA Seeding Index (RPI, Coaches Poll, MaxPreps). Columbine finished its regular season positioned 18th in the RPI, needing a big win over No. 6 Lakewood to propel it into a higher seed.
The Tigers led 3-1 in the 5th, when Savana Corthell knocked in the game's first home run. Haven Kutch put the final nail in the coffin with a two-run home run in the 7th inning, propelling the team to the 6-2 final.
Lakewood was anchored by its ace pitcher junior Destiny Martinez. The potential player of the year recorded a 2.00 ERA with 14 strikeouts, giving up two runs on two hits.