There are 32 high school softball teams that will be playing in the Class 5A and Class 4A state tournament at Aurora Sports Park on Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 24.

Four of those teams call the Southwestern League home.

Grand Junction and Montrose both advanced to the state tournament with wins on Friday, Oct. 16, and Fruita Monument and Palisade earned their spots on Saturday.

“We want the Western Slope to get the recognition they deserve. It’s a great area for ball,” Fruita Monument softball coach Randi Denton said after the Wildcats won the Class 4A Region 4 tournament. “It’s great to know that when you are playing Montrose, Grand Junction or Palisade that you’re playing a really good team.”

After defeating Thompson Valley 7-2 in its first game, Fruita Monument battled Air Academy for the regional title in the second game at Canyon View Park.

With the score tied 3-3 entering the fifth inning, the Kadets scored twice to pull ahead 5-3. The Wildcats pulled within 5-4 in the bottom of the inning when Rylie Williamson singled, was bunted over to second by Tatum Hanneman, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a bunt single by Emma Lara.

After coming up empty in the bottom of the sixth, the stage was set for the final inning.

Paige Stephens led off with a single and Williamson hit into a fielder’s choice. Ahead 2-0 in the count, Hanneman fouled off two pitches before connecting for an RBI triple to tie the game 5-5. Lara walked and stole second and Clara Denton-Baleztena popped out, bringing Addi Cutshall to the plate.

“Tatum came through. That was huge,” Denton said.

Entering the weekend, Cutshall led the Wildcats — and was fifth in the state — with 43 RBI. On the first pitch she saw, Cutshall singled to center to bring in the winning run and send Fruita back to the state tournament.

“When we have someone on base, Addi comes through,” Denton said of her senior shortstop.

Williamson was the only player with multiple hits — going 2 for 3 with two runs scored — and Hanneman, Lara, Cutshall, Stephens and Kenley Hamlin all had an RBI.

In the first game against Thompson Valley, Hamlin was the hitting star — going 2 for 3 with four RBI. Her two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning put the Wildcats ahead for good and she added an RBI groundout in the third and an RBI single in a three-run fifth inning.

“You can count on any of the hitters in the lineup,” Denton said. “They go to the plate and know they have the team behind them.”

Cutshall and Stephens both had two hits and Kensley Hassenstab earned the win, allowing two runs on six hits with four strikeouts in five innings.

Fruita now gets ready for the state tournament, returning after missing last year.

“We’re excited to get back to state,” Denton said. “We’d rather have a close game (like the win over Air Academy). It helps prepare us for (the state tournament).”

Palisade — like Montrose and Grand Junction on Friday — had to battle back to earn its spot in the state tournament.

After losing 10-0 to Vista Ridge on Friday afternoon, the Bulldogs had to play the late game on Friday night to get into the win-or-go-home second regional qualifier game on Saturday afternoon.

Pueblo Centennial jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Palisade’s bats woke up — scoring six runs in the first, one in the second and 11 in the third for a runaway 18-4 victory.

In the six-run first, Autumn Hickerson had a two-run double, Jamyson Mancuso an RBI groundout, Brooklyn Ramirez an RBI triple and two runs scored on an error.

In the 11-run third inning, Emerson Ingram had five RBI — a two-run home run and a three-run double. Chloe Cummings also hit a two-run home run, two runs scored on wild pitches, and Mancuso and Hickerson both had RBI singles.

Ingram finished 3 for 4 with five RBI, Hickerson was 3 for 4 with four RBI and Cummings was 3 for 3 with two RBI.

Friday night’s win set up a rematch with Vista Ridge, which lost to regional champion Eaton in Saturday’s first game. Palisade needed extra innings to win the back-and-forth game, prevailing 12-8 in nine innings.

The first eight runs of the game — four for Palisade, four for Vista Ridge — all came via home runs.

Lexi Trottier hit two two-run home runs — one in the third inning and one in the fifth — and Vista Ridge’s Jocelynn Kalkman hit a solo home run in the first and a three-run shot in the third.

The Bulldogs took a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth inning when Joey Donaldson scored on a passed ball. The lead held until Kalkman hit her third home run of the day — a solo shot with one out in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game 5-5.

Palisade came right back in the top of the eighth with Donaldson doubling with one out, Ruby Ausband getting hit by a pitch with two outs and Ramirez connecting on a three-run home run for an 8-5 lead.

Back came the Wolves, scoring one run on an error and then Aaliyah Garcia connecting on a two-run home run with two outs.

Then it was the Bulldogs’ turn again. Hickerson singled with one out and Mancuso followed with a single. Cummings put Palisade back in the lead with a two-run double and Donaldson followed with a single to put runners on first and third. A passed ball allowed Cummings to score and Donaldson moved to second and then third on an error. After Bella Marquez popped up, Ausband hit an RBI double to put the Bulldogs up 12-8.

Ramirez then got three straight pop ups in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win.

Trottier finished 2 for 5 — both home runs — and four RBI, Donaldson and Ramirez both had four hits — Ramirez added three RBI — Mancuso had three hits and Donaldson added two.

FOOTBALL

Palisade ran for 307 yards and scored five rushing touchdowns to defeat Glenwood Springs 42-6 on Friday night.

Four of the rushing TDs came on runs of longer than 30 yards — Aidan Shiao had a 30-yard score, Jonas Lincoln a 42-yard run for a TD, Carter Hayward had a 46-yard score and Deigen Salvati ripped off a 50-yard TD.

Hayward finished with six carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns, Lincoln had five carries for 72 yards and a touchdown, Salvati rushed four times for 64 yards and a TD and Shiao ran five times for 61 yards and a TD and also completed all five of his passes for 77 yards and a score — an 8-yard pass to Cameron Kuhn.

Grand Junction got five rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown to defeat Longmont 37-31 on Friday night. The Tigers recovered an onside kick after the Trojans’ final touchdown to hold on for the win.

Central defeated Green Mountain 32-27 at Stocker Stadium on Friday night.

BOYS SOCCER

Central curbed a three-game winless skid with a 3-0 victory over Montezuma-Cortez on Saturday.

Junior midfielder Eddy Moreno netted two goals and also tallied an assist in the winning effort. Fellow junior striker Sebastian Mendoza was responsible for the other goal and assisted one score by Moreno; senior striker Christian Hayes tallied the assist on the other.

The Warriors improved to 7-4-2 on the season with the victory. Central will close out the regular season this week with a home-and-home two-game set against Fruita Monument on Tuesday and Thursday; kickoff from Grand Junction on Tuesday is slated for 4:30 p.m., while kickoff from Fruita on Thursday is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.