AURORA >> It’s the nature of a long softball season — and especially its single-elimination state tournament — that not much will go to plan.

Broomfield and Holy Family being the rare exceptions.

On Friday at Aurora Sports Park, the Eagles became the first team to reach the Class 5A state semifinals undefeated since at least before 2011, while the 4A Tigers continued their long history of success on Day 1 at state, advancing to the final day of the season for a seventh-straight year.

Wichita State commit Kiley Wheaton drove in five runs on a long-sleeve kind of afternoon in Aurora as 5A No. 2 Broomfield (27-0) beat No. 15 Rock Canyon and No. 10 Grandview in the opening two rounds.

After a 9-1 win over the Jaguars, Wheaton and Lauren Martinez hit back-to-back home runs in a 5-4 win against the Wolves.

Their lead was down to one when right fielder Jenna Kapelke got the final out of the sixth inning, throwing out the tying run at third base. Not long after, Wheaton hauled in a high-chopping grounder and first baseman Lilly Smith scooped her throw cleanly from the dirt to get a speedy leadoff hitter out in the seventh.

Ace Ireland Heer fanned her 14th batter of the day to seal things. The junior, who announced her commitment to Fresno State on social media earlier in the week, threw 13 of her team’s 14 innings on Day 1.

Broomfield is back in Aurora at 10 a.m. to face No. 6 Riverdale Ridge in the semifinals. The young Eagles are confident, two wins away from their first state title in program history.

“It’s about how we can be a family not only on the field, but off the field,” said junior catcher Martinez, who is part of a starting lineup without any seniors on it. “We are just there for each other.”

Their senior class has still played an important role, coach Kale Gilmore noted.

“We don’t have many seniors that play a lot of innings, but our senior leadership off the field is absolutely incredible,” said Gilmore, who coached the school’s baseball team to a state title in 2022. “We have four seniors that have taken these girls under their wing and have taught them what it means to be part of this program. Do things the right way.”

In 4A, Makaila Moosbrugger continued to dazzle this postseason for No. 5 Holy Family (21-6), homering in wins over No. 12 Niwot and No. 13 Conifer.

Two-time BoCoPreps.com player of the year Isabella Arroyo, along with Giuliana Magnetti, Jaelyn Sandoval and Moosbrugger went deep against Niwot ace Kianna Butler in an 8-3 win in the first round.

Moosbrugger had five RBIs for a second time in three games against Conifer, ripping a two-run shot in the fourth as the Tigers advanced with a 12-2 win.

The senior catcher is 10 of 14 from the plate with 12 RBIs in four games in the 2024 playoffs. She credits her dad’s advice for much of it.

“It’s been a rough season with ups and downs with hitting, but I just had to get past the mental block,” Moosbrugger said. “Honestly, every time I get up, my dad tells me what ice cream flavor I should be thinking about when I hit. It takes my mind completely off of mechanics, of the count and stuff, and I’m just focused about driving the ball as hard as I can.”

Today’s flavor: vanilla.

“Love vanilla ice cream,” she grinned.

The Tigers face top-ranked Lutheran on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Lions have knocked Holy Family out of the past two postseasons, beating the Tigers in the 2023 semifinals and the 2022 finals.

“We want them,” Moosbrugger said. “We saw the bracket when it came out earlier this week, and we got so hyped. We know we have what it takes.”

The four other teams from the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley school districts were eliminated.

Class 3A No. 8 Lyons got a home run and three RBIs from freshman Ella White in a 10-6 win over No. 9 Wellington in the first round, then lost 10-0 to No. 1 Eaton.

In 4A, freshman Julianne Williams had her first career two-homer game for No. 16 Mead in a 14-7 loss to Lutheran. Niwot sophomore May Herrera went deep off Arroyo for her first career blast in the loss to Holy Family.

And in 5A, Erie rallied for four runs in the sixth but fell to Riverdale Ridge, 6-4. Senior Lizzie Owens drove in her 34th and 35th RBIs of the season in the loss.