Colorado softball league races down to the wire

With the softball season down to its final few regular-season games, it's time to take a look at the league races. Winning a league, naturally, gives teams the best draw for districts – in most cases, a home seed – and the best opportunity to qualify for state.

In Class 5A, most eyes immediately dart to the Front Range League, where Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) is aiming to overthrow defending-champion Legacy (Broomfield). Fossil Ridge's 13-12 win in the head-to-head matchup Sept. 9 is still standing up, as the SaberCats are 8-0 in league and Legacy 7-1.

Fossil Ridge has gotten a killer overall season from Murphy McRoberts, who is 10-1 in the pitching circle and has batted .571 with five home runs and 29 RBI.

Here's a look at some of 5A's other key league races:

Jefferson County: Top-ranked Dakota Ridge (Littleton) (13-2, 4-0) has six regulars hitting .400 or better, including sophomore Miranda Goepfert's .522, and is in command as the season winds down. Chatfield (Littleton) is only one game back with three to play, but it is technically two games as the Chargers already have lost to Dakota Ridge.

Centennial: This one likely will come down to Tuesday's Eaglecrest (Centennial) vs. Grandview (Aurora) matchup, with each team currently 11-5 and 4-0 overall. Mullen (Denver), a 4A team in the league, also is has a shot with a 3-0 league mark.

Continental: Wins against Legend (Parker) and Douglas County (Castle Rock) has put Castle View (Castle Rock) (13-2, 7-0) and hard-throwing Savannah Heebner firmly in the driver's seat with two league games remaining.

East Metro: Brighton was supposed to be the class of this league and has been, but the Bulldogs have had some unexpected upper-tier competition. Prairie View (Henderson) has matched Brighton's 7-0 league mark and the teams meet Wednesday at Prairie View with the league title in the balance. The matchup likely will feature aces Melissa Rahrich of Brighton and Margarita Sena of Prairie View.

Colorado Springs Metro: Rampart (Colorado Springs) is out front with a 10-0 league mark and the Rams can clinch Tuesday with a win over second-place Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) (8-1). Senior Kara Jones is hitting .571 for Rampart.

In addition, in the hybrid Denver Prep League, 5A Denver East and 4A Thomas Jefferson (Denver) each are 6-0 and, for seeding purposes, will be the top team for their respective classification from the league. Bragging rights for the overall champ will be on the line when the teams meet Thursday.

Grand Junction Central appears to have the hybrid Southwestern League wrapped up with a 5-0 mark and can outright clinch with a win over Fruita Monument on Tuesday.

In 4A, plenty is still to be decided. Here's a look:

Jefferson County: Longtime foes Wheat Ridge and D'Evelyn (Denver) are both unscathed in league, and the teams meet to Tuesday in a matchup that will likely settle the Jeffco title. Typically a team with a pronounced ace, Wheat Ridge (11-3, 4-0) has used a by-committee approach in the pitching circle this season. Count the defending state champs the favorite, as D'Evelyn's overall mark is 6-8.

Northern League: Mountain View (Loveland) is 10-1 and has beaten second-place Silver Creek (Longmont) (9-1) by a 12-2 score in a head-to-head matchup. Now for the fine print. The teams are continuing a suspended game on Saturday, and when that one resumes, Silver Creek will be ahead 7-1 in the third inning. The Raptors can leapfrog the Mountain Lions.

Colorado Springs Metro: Woodland Park is a perfect 8-0 in league behind dual-threat Lexie Comer, and the league's tournament title likely will come down to Tuesday's matchup between the Panthers and second-place Canon City (6-1).

Tri-Valley: This league usually belongs to Erie, but top-ranked Frederick emphatically has taken over. The Warriors (18-0, 11-0) have gotten a stellar season from sophomore pitcher Alicia Hernandez, who twice has shut out Erie.

Pikes Peak: Vista Ridge (Colorado Springs) and Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) each are 5-1 in league and meet Monday in what likely is an all-the-marbles game. But Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) is still in the picture with a 4-1 league mark and two to play.

South Central: Pueblo West (6-1) has the upper hand on Pueblo East and Pueblo Central (each 5-2), but all are still alive with three games to play.

Colorado 7: Weld Central (Keenesburg) has run away with this one, as the Rebels have posted a 10-0 league mark. Jessica Beach has clubbed six homers and pitcher Taylor Moya is 9-2.

Western Slope: Delta, Palisade and Eagle Valley (Gypsum) all are 2-1 as the season winds down and still very much alive. Of the three, only Delta (11-4) has a winning overall record and can be considered the favorite.

In 3A, the circuit is divided into districts rather than leagues. Here's a look at the races in each:

District 1: Skyline (Longmont), a 4A transplant that had won only won game in each of the past three seasons, has rocketed to an 8-0 mark behind a monster season from shortstop Leah Osborn. The Falcons already have beaten second-place The Academy (Westminster).

District 2: Longtime southern rivals Lamar and La Junta are each 3-0 in league and will decide things when they meet Tuesday. Lamar won the nonleague matchup between the teams 7-3 on Thursday.

District 3: Strasburg's winning streak has reached 45 games, and the two-time defending champion Indians (16-0, 11-0) already have clinched the district. No other team has fewer than three losses.

District 4: Burlington has recorded a 111-9 scoring advantage in league play, but the Cougars (6-0 in district play) have a key doubleheader against Wray (5-1) on Saturday that will likely determine the district champ.

District 5: Basalt leads this four-team, Western Slope-based district with a 3-0 mark and will look to wrap things up with a doubleheader against second-place Cedaredge (2-1) on Saturday. A split would keep the Longhorns in good shape.