Aurora – A groundball is as good as a strikeout when the Cherokee Trail infield is clicking as it was Thursday.
Steph Thurston faced the minimum amount of batters, catcher Christina Blanton threw out two runners trying to steal second and Michelle Cuellar started a second-to-short-to-first double play in the seventh inning as the Cougars handled Brighton 3-0 in a Skyline League game at Cherokee Trail Fields.
Thurston struck out five and scattered three singles while not allowing a Brighton baserunner to get beyond first base. Cherokee Trail’s outfield recorded two outs on flyballs, but it was the infield doing most of the work by recording 11 outs on popups or grounders.
“I was really glad that I had my defense behind me. I’m 100 percent confident that anything that people touch, my defense will get to it. They play great behind me,” said Thurston (14-0).
Cherokee Trail is No. 3 in The Denver Post/9News Class 4A poll with a 15-2 overall record. The Cougars improved to 7-0 in Skyline play while 5A Brighton dropped to 13-3, 6-1 with the regular season winding down. The Cougars already own the 4A league title and can clinch the overall Skyline crown with a win in one their next two games.
Shortstop Brooke Bails put Cherokee Trail on the scoreboard with a triple to the left-field fence that was hit as hard as a softball can be. Alex Gronlund scored on the play, and Bails moseyed in from third when Blanton, the next batter, lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.
Bails, Blanton and Thurston combined for four of Cherokee Trail’s six hits, with Thurston going 2-for-3 with two singles.
Brighton has not seen talent like the Cougars’ lately. The Bulldogs lost to 5A No. 1 Rocky Mountain 4-2 in the second game of the season, but Brighton has breezed through its schedule since league play started.
“We haven’t played any tough competition for about six weeks. It’s tough to get ready for a game like this. … We just did not come ready to play. I really thought this would be a 3-2 game,” Brighton coach Bruce Stricklett said.
Brighton 000 000 0 – 0 3 0
Cherokee Trail 000 210 x – 3 6 0
Brighton – Jeffress cf 3-0-1-0, Stefanski c 3-0-1-0, Chaplin p 3-0-0-0, Glaze ss 2-0-0-0, Trujillo 2b 2-0-1-0, Castor 3b 2-0-0-0, Morrison 1b-lf 2-0-0-0, Sharp lf 1-0-0-0, Engh rf 2-0-0-0, Smith 1b 1-0-0-0. Totals 21-0-3-0.
Cherokee Trail – Drayton cf 3-0-1-0, Thurston p 3-0-2-0, Cuellar 2b 3-0-1-1, Bails ss 3-1-1-1, Blanton c 0-0-0-1, Bok 3b 2-0-0-0, Radcliffe rf 3-0-0-0, Dougal 1b 3-0-0-0, Young lf 1-1-0-0, Holi dh 1-0-1-0, Gronlund cr 0-1-0-0. Totals 22-3-6-3.
E – None. LOB – Brighton 0; Cherokee Trail 5. 3B – Bails. Caught stealing – Stefanski, Trujillo. Double play – Brighton; Cherokee Trail. SAC – Blanton 2. Batteries – Chaplin and Stefanski; Thurston and Blanton. W – Thurston (14-0). L – Chaplin (13-2). WP – Chaplin. HBP – Bails, CT, by Chaplin. Time – 1:06.
