Opening its season with a road doubleheader against Rifle on Aug. 26, the Montezuma-Cortez High School girls’ softball team lost twice, but looked far from overwhelmed by their Class 4A opponents.

Facing off against Rifle starting pitcher Kaitlyn Jackson in the first game of the doubleheader, M-CHS fell behind 5-0 heading into the 5th inning before scoring three unanswered runs to cut Rifle’s lead to 5-3.

The Bears subsequently buckled down however, scoring four runs over the final two innings to secure a 9-3 victory.

Starting Dannika Noyes on the mound in the second game of the doubleheader, the Lady Panthers got off to a strong start and led 3-0 heading into the bottom of the 3rd inning.

Rifle scored 10 unanswered runs over the next two innings however, and ultimately won the contest 12-6.

Leading the way for the Lady Panthers at the plate was Morgan Short, who registered four hits and two RBIs.

Kailey Case also enjoyed a solid day batting for M-CHS, as the sophomore collected one double and three RBIs.

With their record now at 0-2 on the season, the Lady Panthers will return to the practice field in preparation for a game against Mesa Ridge High School on Sept. 8, followed by games against Canon City and Cheyanne Mountain High School on Sept. 9.

All three contests will take place in Colorado Springs.