The Montezuma-Cortez Panthers will face Resurrection Christian in a semifinal rematch on Friday, as they continue their run through the 3A state baseball tournament.
After falling 1-0 to Resurrection Christian in the opening round, the Panthers dropped into the consolation bracket. There, they rallied with back-to-back wins over Valley (9-2) and Eaton (9-5) to stay alive in the tournament.
Friday’s rematch against the Cougars offers Montezuma-Cortez a chance at redemption and the opportunity to advance to a later game against University High School that same day. A win there would send the Panthers to Saturday’s championship match against Coal Ridge.
Friday’s rematch against the Cougars offers Montezuma-Cortez a chance at redemption and the opportunity to advance to a later game against University High School that same day. A win there would send the Panthers to Saturday’s championship match against Coal Ridge.
In Friday’s opening round, the Panthers could not get their offense up in their contest against Resurrection Christian. Despite a solid pitching performance by senior Seth Oakes and sophomore Michael Krupa, who combined to allow just one earned run on six hits, the Panthers only managed three hits of their own.
Resurrection Christian scored the game’s lone run in the third inning and held off the Panthers the rest of the way behind a complete game shutout from sophomore Braedyn Budd.
After the loss, Montezuma-Cortez made a convincing return in Saturday’s action where the offense scored in five straight innings while racking up seven hits and seven RBIs to win 9-2 over Valley. Krupa went 2-2 with two runs, and an RBI while Easton Pixler added a homer.
Sophomore Connor Rosenbaugh and senior Bobby Likes combined their efforts to only allow two hits and no earned runs over seven innings. They also struck out four and did not allow Valley to gain any real momentum.
Behind a composed effort on the mound and clutch hitting at the plate in the following game against Eaton, Montezuma-Cortez knocked off the defending state champions 9-5 on Saturday, ending the Reds’ bid for a repeat and rewriting the Panthers’ own history in the process.
Junior Jaris McDonald turned in a strong five-inning relief outing, striking out six and allowing just three hits and two earned runs to keep the Eaton offense in check. After the Reds opened with an early lead in the first, McDonald entered in the third and immediately steadied the game, helping the Panthers maintain their cushion as Eaton attempted to come back.
Offensively, the Panthers scored four runs in the second inning and tacked on another two in third to add insurance to their lead. Montezuma-Cortez finished with 11 hits at the end of the day, led by sophomore Jaiden Istenes who went 2-4 and had two RBIs. Junior Darren Daves finished with 2-4 and a double. Krupa contributed with a perfect 2-2 performance, adding an RBI and a walk.
With the win, Montezuma-Cortez not only knocked out Eaton, ending the Reds’ streak of four consecutive final four appearances, but also reached a milestone of their own. The Panthers secured their 23rd win of the season, setting a new program record. The previous high came in 2023, when they finished 22-6 and began a stretch of consistent winning seasons.
They now advance in the 3A state bracket, with a rematch against Resurrection Christian on the horizon.
