Spring Roundup 5-9
Girls tennis rolls in 4A team semifinals and is headed for the final as well as Pueblo on Thursday; miscues hinder local 9; girls golfers third in final league tourney.
The odyssey that has been Mullen girls tennis in 2023 continued to evolve on Tuesday, when the Mustangs handled Thompson Valley 6-1 at Pinehurst Country Club. in the new Class 4A team tournament semifinals.
Better yet, they are playing their best tennis as they enter the final stretch of what can only be described as an, ahem, interesting season.
In the first year of the new team tournament, Mullen, which is 13-4 in dual meets, will take on regular 4A power Cheyenne Mountain of Colorado Springs on Tuesday, May 16, possibly at Denver City Park Courts.
But before a shot at their second team title in three seasons, they leave today (Wednesday, May 10) for Pueblo to compete in the 4A individual tournament May 11-13.
“We keep getting better with every single match,” head coach Jera Sturgell said. “But at the end and after looking for so many combinations and trying to be the best team, this is what you want. And they’re learning more and playing more …”
The odd flows and interruptions to the season, which included no use of home courts on campus, Sturgell said, have “just been brutal, very hard. It has been hard to implement new things or strategies … you just can’t fit it all in with the weather issues, spring-break issues … it has been so difficult, but I’m so proud of the girls.”
Against Thompson Valley, in order, Lexi Yost, Lilly Evans and Savanna Hanley, Mullen’s singles players, combined to win in straight sets and lost only an aggregate 10 games.
Three of the Mustangs doubles teams -- Clara Dailey-Claire Lenich, Anna Lawrence-Maisie McMorrow and Emma Lehman-Grace Jeffers, Nos. 2-4 – survived challenging matches and the No. 1 duo of Grace Brouillette-Avery Walters dropped a first-set tiebreaker.
Yost, who was sixth individually in 2022 in her first season playing at No. 1, said the previous season’s experience, as well as her hard work over the summer, have helped her game considerably.
“I learned a lot from last year, she said, adding “we feel good about (her team’s chances in the coming days.”
The time and site for the first 4A team championship under the new format is TBA.
On Thursday, play in the 4A individual groupings wil begin at 9 a.m. Here’s a link to the 4A individual bracket with Mullen placings:
On April 8, Mullen was second of four teams in the Cheyenne Mountain Invitational in Colorado Springs. Cheyenne Mountain was third.
RESULTS
CLASS 4A TEAM BRACKET
SEMIFINALS
At Pinehurst C.C.
MULLEN 6, THOMPSON VALLEY 1
No. 1 singles – Lexi Yost def. Allie Mertens 6-1, 6-3.
No. 2 singles – Lilly Evans def. Miranda Spooner 6-1, 6-1.
No. 3 singles – Savanna Hanley def. Jayna Erickson 6-1, 6-1.
No. 1 doubles – Grace Brouillette-Avery Walters lost to Jacie Krieger-Becca Wiersema 7-6 (4). 6-2.
No. 2 doubles – Clara Dailey-Claire Lenich def. Camy Wiersema-Brenna Rutherford 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
No. 3 doubles – Anna Lawrence-Maisie McMorrow def. Kam Otteson-Sarah Takken 6-4, 6-4.
No. 4 doubles – Emma Lehman-Grace Jeffers def. Megan Goldberg-Mary Labas 6-4, 6-3.
Baseball
In Greenwood Village, the Mustangs found themselves suddenly error-prone in a 9-3 loss at Cherry Creek in the second round of the Centennial League tournament.
Early miscues, four in all, led to a four-run first inning for the host Bruins and six of the eight runs allowed by starter Thomas Stewart were unearned.
“The errors put us in a bind,” head coach Phil Stanford said. “We can’t be making those mistakes. We’ve got to be cleaner.”
Colin Mackenzie and Gus Peonio combined for half of Mullen’s eight hits. Mackenzie scored twice and Stewart drove home two.
Now 12-8, the Mustangs will be at Far Northeast Warriors on Friday, May 12, then host Cherokee Trail, a 6-5 loser on Tuesday to Grandview, on Saturday, May 13, at Bill Swift Field in the Centennial’s final round of the league tournament.
Mullen will wrap up its regular season on Monday, May 15, at home against Arvada West, 4 p.m., before heading into the 4A regional rounds.
CHERRY CREEK 9, MULLEN 3
Mullen 001 100 1 -- 3 8 4
Cherry Creek 411 201 x -- 9 6 1
Mullen –Mackenzie cf 3-2-2-0, Gamueda rf 4-0-1-1, T. Stewart p-2b 3-0-1-2, Bertaud p 1-0-0-0, Jackson lf 4-0-1-0, Krza c 2-0-0-0, Hurley ss 2-0-0-0, Brady 3b 3-0-1-0, Peonia 3-1-2-0, Walker 0-0-0-0, Andrews 2b 1-0-0-0. Totals 26-3-8-3.
E – Walker 2, Krza. LOB – 7. SB – Hurley. BB -- Mackenzie, Krza. 2B – Jackson. 3B – Mackenzie.
Pitching – T. Stewart (l) 4.2 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K’s; Bertaud 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s. WP – Stewart. Bertaud hit 1 batter. HBP – Andrews, Hurley, T. Stewart.
Girls Golf
In Aurora, the Mustangs were third among teams in the final Centennial League gathering of 2023.
Teeing it up at Saddle Rock Golf Course, the Mustangs girls totaled 348.
Individually, senior Kaitlin Zingler shot 9-over-par 81 to top Mullen. Sammy Yates (84) and Jane Gray
(85) also turned in solid scores and Riley Sullivan added 98.
The next major target for Mullen is May 22, when it will compete in the 4A regional to be held at Bookcliff Country Club in Grand Junction.
CENTENNIAL LEAGUE NO. 5
At Saddle Rock G.C., Aurora
Par 36-36—72
Team scores – Cherry Creek 320, Cherokee Trail 333, Mullen 348, Arapahoe 352.
Mullen scores – 6. Kaitlin Zingler, 81; 9. (tie) Sammy Yates, 84; 11. Jane Gray, 85; 22. Riley Sullivan, 98; 25. May Myles, 103; 26. Braelynne Lawler, 109.
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