RBC I For the second year in a row, the Colorado River Valley 14-Under All-stars won the 14-and-under District 1 Fast Pitch Softball Championships in Grand Junction, allowing them to advance to the state tournament Saturday in Denver.
“Our kids played tough the entire tournament,” coach Rick Dodds said. “We are known as a hitting team throughout District 1 and the kids came out and did just that. They hit the heck out of the ball and had very few defensive errors.”
The Colorado River Valley All-stars feature four girls from Meeker, three from Rangely and three from New Castle, and they finished the regular season with a 20-1 record.
In the district tournament, the CRV All-stars beat Three Rivers Little League 28-8, then beat Orchard Mesa Little League 16-4 to advance to the championship game.
The Orchard Mesa team dropped into the consolation bracket of the double-elimination tournament and continued to win until they advanced to the championship game, which they lost, 28-4, to the CRV All-stars.
The CRV All-stars scored 449 points during the regular season, averaging 21 points per game, allowing their opponents to cross home plate only 92 times.
Coach Dodds said one of the team’s regular season wins came against the Rifle High School varsity team by a score of 19-3.
The CRV All-stars will represent the Western Slope at state as they play in a double-elimination tournament against champions from the Denver and Pueblo districts.
“This is a great bunch of kiddos, and we are all very proud to be their coaches,” Dodds said.