Everything is scarier during the month of October, as Fossil Ridge survived regionals and advanced to the state tournament after a thrilling victory against the Arapahoe Warriors.

This thrilling finish was due to the unique playoff format for softball. Instead of being single elimination like most other sports, during softball regionals a team must lose twice in a four team bracket to be eliminated.

Fossil’s first matchup of the day came against Arapahoe in a separate encounter, where the Sabercats dominated 9-1. Senior shortstop and backup pitcher Katelyn Hays spent the majority of the game in the circle, only giving up one run in five innings of pitching. Fossil’s bats were led by third baseman Anna Javernick, who clobbered both a home run and a double, earning two RBIs for her team.

The Sabercats’ second matchup came in a rematch against Erie High School, the number one seed in the region. Fossil started things fast, scoring two runs in the second to take the lead. The tides would eventually shift, as Erie scored eight unanswered runs to score the victory. 

This forced the Sabercats into a winner-take-all game against Arapahoe for the second time that day. Things didn’t look too hot early, as Hays gave up two runs in the first inning to put Fossil in an early hole. 

The Sabercats brought in starting pitcher Brooklyn Cardenas, who had been put on a team-imposed inning limit as she was still recovering from a shin injury. Cardenas showed no signs of the injury though, pitching five scoreless innings along with six strikeouts, keeping Fossil in the game. 

Their offense struggled all game, going scoreless through the first six innings. Things turned around in the seventh, as Fossil totaled three runs after a leadoff hit from Hays. A critical play came from junior Audrey Loyd, who was able to drive in a run after laying down a bunt attempt.

“It was definitely very stressful because we barely pulled it out, but I’m very happy that we made it [to state],” Loyd said.

With that 3-2 victory, Fossil Ridge qualified for their 12th consecutive state tournament. The fittingly #12 Sabercats will face off in the single elimination tournament against #5 Chatfield on Friday at Aurora Sports Park starting at 10 a.m.