3A Softball: Site Champions, Runners-Up Determined From Round of 32 Play

AURORA – The eight site champions and the eight runners-up from the 3A Softball State Championships Round of 32 have secured their spot in the Round of 16 tournament bracket that will play out next weekend at the finals site.

The bracket will be reseeded for the Round of 16 with the eight champions – Eaton, Lyons, Sierra, Strasburg, The Academy, Thomas Jefferson, University and Wiley – earning a 1-8 seed and the eight runners-up – Alamosa, Delta, Fort Lupton, La Junta, Lamar, Meeker, Rocky Ford and Sterling – being seeded 9-16.

The full Round of 16 bracket will be released Monday with play beginning with the first and quarterfinal round games on Friday. Semifinals and finals will take place on Saturday. All games in the Round of 16 will be played at the Aurora Sports Park.

No. 1 seed Eaton cruised through Site 1 at Eaton High School without giving up a run, knocking off No. 32 Jefferson Academy, 21-0, before beating No. 16 La Junta, 10-0. Meanwhile, La Junta scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to steal a win from No. 17 Forge Christian in the first round and secure its spot in the Round of 16 state championship bracket.

Strasburg, the tournament’s No. 2 seed and host of Site 2, went undefeated through the two Round of 32 games, defeating No. 31 Cedaredge, 16-4, and then No. 18 Meeker, 11-1, to advance to states. Meeker will join Strasburg next weekend, as it upset No. 15 Brush, 7-5, in the first round.

No. 3 University took care of business at Site 3, beating No. 30 Arvada, 13-1, and No. 19 Alamosa, 11-1, at Twin Rivers Softball Field in Greeley. Alamosa secured the second spot in the Round of 16 bracket with an extra-innings upset win over No. 14 Wellington. Alamosa scored in the top of the eighth to secure the victory and state championship berth.

No. 13 Sierra used a 10-4 upset over No. 4 Delta, the hosts of Site 4, to secure its spot in the state bracket. Sierra opened the tournament with a 13-3 win over No. 20 Weld Central, while Delta cruised to a first-round win over No. 29 Holyoke, 11-1. With that win, Delta will also advance to the Round of 16.

No. 5 Lyons came away undefeated at Site 5, knocking off No. 28 The Classical Academy, 13-3, before a 6-4 win over No. 12 Lamar in the second round. Lamar will join Lyons in the state tournament Round of 16 as it knocked out No. 21 Gunnison, 15-3, in the first round.

The Academy, the tournament’s sixth-seeded team, scored 24 runs on the day to claim a spot in the state bracket. The Academy opened the day with a 15-0 win over No. 27 Valley and then in the second round, defeated No. 11 Fort Lupton – which beat No. 22 Montezuma-Cortez 9-6 in the first round. The Academy and Fort Lupton will both advance to the state bracket.

No. 7 Thomas Jefferson came away victorious in Site 7, as it swept No. 26 Wray/Yuma, 12-0, in the first round and then No. 10 Rocky Ford, 8-5, in the second round. Rocky Ford, which defeated No. 23 Resurrection Christian, 10-4, in the first round will join Jefferson at the state tournament.

A pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning secured an upset victory over No. 8 Sterling for No. 9 Wiley, 8-7. Both teams will advance to the Round of 16, though, as Wiley opened the day with a 12-6 win over No. 24 Limon and Sterling picked up a 13-3 victory over No. 25 Peak to Peak in the first round.

Advancing Teams 
Site 1: Eaton, La Junta
Site 2: Strasburg, Meeker
Site 3: University, Alamosa
Site 4: Sierra, Delta
Site 5: Lyons, Lamar
Site 6: The Academy, Fort Lupton
Site 7: Thomas Jefferson, Rocky Ford
Site 8: Wiley, Sterling