Connor Swim, Announcer

The first trip to the State Softball tournament for the Montezuma Bravettes has not gone as they would have hoped. After a magical run through regional play, the Bravettes entered the Class 1A State playoff looking to add to their Cinderella story. Unfortunately, Montezuma ran up against an absolute powerhouse in the #1 ranked Kee High Hawks. After an tough to stomach 18-1 loss, Montezuma hoped to find a way to re-energize and take on a Colfax-Mingo team that had defeated them twice in the regular season. That would not be the case as Colfax-Mingo jumped to an early lead and never looked back on their way to a 12-0 four inning run rule victory.

The first three Colfax-Mingo batters reached base on two singles and a hit by pitch. That allowed cleanup hitter Rhiannon Haley to open up the score with a huge three RBI double. She would be batted in two pitches later by pitcher Colbee Cunningham. After gaining a 4-0 lead in the first inning, the wind seemed to be taken out of the sails of Montezuma. They struggled putting runners on base, and thanks to more collective hitting by the top of the Colfax-Mingo line up, Montezuma found themselves with no momentum for most of the short four inning affair. Colfax-Mingo short stop Amy Russell made matters even worse by hitting a two run homer in the second inning making the score 6-0, and then adding a three run shot in the forth. When it was all said and done, Colfax-Mingo had scored 12 runs in four innings on 12 hits.

The bright side of this whole tournament for the Bravettes can be found in their youth. Returning all players next year, Montezuma is gaining valuable experience in the State Tournament. That being said, Montezuma looks to finish their last tournament game with a positive outcome. You can listen in on the Bravettes final game in Fort Dodge on Wednesday, July 19th at 12:00 pm on 104.9 KBOE, kboeradio.com, and the KBOE mobile app.