The 2025 Montezuma-Cortez baseball season came to an end Friday with a 10-2 loss to No. 4 Resurrection Christian in a playoff rematch.
This loss came after the No. 5 Panthers bounced back with wins over Valley and Eaton last Saturday, earning a shot at the final four and a chance to redeem themselves after their first-round loss to the Cougars.
After taking a 2-1 lead in the third inning, the Panthers were shut down offensively, managing a total of four hits during the game. The Cougars responded with three runs in the fifth and added six runs in the sixth to lock in the victory.
Senior Vaughn Green and junior Maddox Sessions combined on the mound for Resurrection Christian. Green pitched six innings and allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out seven and walking six.
On offense, the Cougars were led by Charley Wilson, who went 2-4 with four RBIs and two doubles. Classmates Weston Johnson and Vincent Fuller added two hits and two runs each. The team collected nine hits overall.
For the Panthers, junior Darren Daves led the way, going for 2-2 with a run and an RBI. Classmate junior Parker Conrad and senior Samson Lein added a hit each for Montezuma-Cortez.
Pitching duties were divided between seniors Lein, Bobby Likes, and sophomore Connor Rosenbaugh. Likes pitched through 4.2 innings and allowed just one earned run on four hits.
The loss wraps up a strong season for the Panthers, who finished with a program-best 23–6 record and secured the IML title over Bayfield to earn a spot in the state championship tournament.
It also marks the end of the road for seniors Lein, Likes, Kolby Wirth, Seth Oakes, and Brady Dale who were contributors to a program that has helped put M-CHS on the 3A state map over the past three years.
Top-seeded University bounced back from a 3-0 semifinal loss to No. 2 Coal Ridge, defeating Resurrection Christian to earn a rematch with Coal Ridge in Saturday’s championship game.
After a four-hour Game 1, University won 3-2. Coal Ridge won Game 2 with the same score (3-2) and are state champs.
