AURORA >> One bad bounce, even one baserunning mistake, can end a team’s season when the highest stakes are in play. Broomfield softball experienced that sting on Saturday during the Class 5A state semifinals at Aurora Sports Park.

A 9-8 loss to No. 6 seed and eventual state champion Riverdale Ridge sent the otherwise undefeated No. 2 seeded Eagles packing, just one game short of the goal they’d been chasing all season long. The Ravens went on to defeat No. 1 Cherokee Trail in the title game by an 8-4 score.

A costly running error in the bottom of the sixth inning handed the Eagles a second out that may have otherwise resulted in the game-tying run.

During the top of the same frame, the Ravens erased a two-run deficit with a single swing. Neila Lucero put on her best Freddie Freeman impression when she knocked a grand slam over the fence in center field, following two balls that bounced in Riverdale Ridge’s favor to load the bases in the first place. Broomfield didn’t have enough time to respond to that 9-7 deficit.All of it, put together, halted an otherwise legendary run for the 27-1 Eagles.

“I told them (that) to get to this spot, you got to be good and then to win it, you got to get some breaks. We didn’t get breaks,” head coach Kale Gilmore said. “There were a couple of balls, if the breaks went the other way — that’s the game of softball or baseball, right? It’s just a game of the little things, and there were a couple little things that changed the way things went. I can’t be more proud of them.”

The semifinal game, naturally, brought plenty of fireworks. Broomfield junior Avery Gines began the game with a solo home run before the Ravens responded with a two-run bomb of their own. The teams combined for six homers before the final out.

The Eagles claimed a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the second thanks to a Kiley Wheaton moonshot, and BHS wouldn’t allow the Ravens to regain control despite significant pushback leading up to the sixth, when Lucero finally cashed in for her team.

“It really just comes down to luck in the end, so I’m super proud that we all stuck together. We kept each other up when we were down,” Wheaton said. “We’re such a great team. I’m going to miss it. Getting into the semifinals is still amazing.”

The Eagles boasted two superstars throughout their 2024 campaign, both of which will be returning for their senior season in 2025. Wichita State commit Wheaton was a nightmare for opponents from the first game to the last. Through 27 games, she batted .607, knocked in 37 RBIs off of 51 hits, then scored 51 runs herself. She contributed three RBIs against the Ravens.

Fresno State commit Ireland Heer nearly put together a flawless season, garnering a 16-1 record and 1.42 ERA through 98 2/3 innings, all while striking out 117 batters. Gilmore said that in his many years coaching both baseball and softball, this team ranked among his best.

“We’ve worked so incredibly hard for this moment, but we just didn’t come out on top,” Heer said.

“Once you get to state, it’s a different level because nobody wants to be out. Everyone’s going to do anything and everything to make it to the championship.”