Sports Spotlight

Panther Baseball Team Peers At A Snowy Past And Future

~ by Trevor Phipps ~

The good news for the Panther boys’ Woodland Park baseball team last week was that they did not lose a single game. 

The bad news was that Mother Nature was not on their side. Last Tuesday afternoon the boys had a game scheduled at home against Mesa Ridge High School when snow blew into town. The temperature dropped and a couple of inches of snow hit the ground causing the game to get rescheduled for a future time.

Last Friday, the weather improved as the boys went down south to Canon City. The Panthers had a tough battle with the Tigers but were able to claw their way to the top by a close score. The Panthers won a much-needed league game on the road 6-5.

After the Panthers play the rescheduled league game against Mesa Ridge, they only have two games left in the season to play, one being their last league game.  On May 1, the boys take on the 7-8 TCA Titans at home during a league game that they must win to have any hopes of winning their league. The Panthers are currently tied in third place in their league with the Titans both with 4-2 league records. 

On May 2, the Panthers play their last, non-league game of the 2018 season as they take on the 9-6 Pueblo South Colts at their home field at Woodland Park’s very own Meadow Wood Sports Complex.

Cripple Creek-Victor Pioneers Fail To Win On The Diamond

The Pioneer boys on top of the mountain have had a rough season this year. 

Many of the games they have played ended it forfeit losses. The other games that have not ended in a forfeit have been blow-outs with the Pioneers coming out on the wrong side. The team is currently 0-12 and only has one game to play left in their 2018 season. On  May 2, the Pioneers take on the 2-8 Del Norte Tigers during their last home game.

Lady Panthers Struggle With Snow Delays And A Tough Loss

The Lady Panthers had a rough week last week as two home games were rescheduled due to weather and they lost the third they played. Mother Nature did not treat the girls well as the games they were scheduled to play on April 21 and 24 were snowed out.

April 27, the girls took on the Canon City Tigers during a home match they actually got to play. The girls were outplayed by the tough Tigers and defeated by a score of 7-1.

After the girls play the two games that were rescheduled, they only have one game left to play in their 2018 season. On Tuesday, May 1, the Lady Panthers hit the road and head out east to play the 9-4 Elizabeth Cardinals.

The girls currently have an overall record of 4-6-1. Playoff hopes for the girls are basically non-existent as they currently sit in fourth place in their 4A Colorado Springs Metro league with a league record of 3-2-1.

The Avs Make It To Game 6 In Playoffs Against Brutal Predators

Many Av Fans across the state waited five years to see their beloved team play a post-season game once again. 

The Avs barely made it to the postseason and got only fourth place in their conference. During the first round of playoffs, the Avs were matched up against the tough Nashville Predators that won their conference and only lost 18 games all season long.

The series started out rough for the Avs as they lost their first two games on the road. Then on April 16, the Avalanche played their first 2018 Stanley Cup Playoff game at home and came up with their first victory of the series. The Avs won their playoff game at the Pepsi Center by a score of 5 to 3.

During the next game in Denver, the Avalanche played tough but were unable to come out on top. The Avs lost Game 4 by a close score of 3 to 2, sending them to Nashville to fight to stay in the playoffs.

The Avs fought well and were able to come up with a victory on the road at country music’s capital of the world. The game was close and low scoring but Colorado was able to squeak by with a 2 to 1 victory sending the series to Game 6 in Denver.

Once in Denver either the Avalanche dissipated and lost its destructive power or the Predator fans taunting, fish throwing rituals gave them the energy they needed to survive. The Predators came to D-Town and made the Avalanche look like a high school hockey team. During the last game of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Predators destroyed and shut out the Avs by a 5 to zip score.

Sorry Av fans, it is sad that the long-awaited playoff series ended in such a devastating blow. Hopefully next year the warm temperatures in April won’t cause the Avalanche to reduce to a small snow drift that gets blown away by cowboys from Nashville. Better luck in 2019, boys!