AURORA — It looked like Broomfield was on the ropes.

But in the end, it turned out to be rope-a-dope.

The Eagles faced a 7-5 deficit against Legend in the fifth inning of the Class 5A softball championship at Aurora Sports Park on Saturday, only to explode for a dozen runs in the frame for a 17-7 mercy-rule victory.

Seven of those runs came with two outs, with Serenity Molloy’s walk-off RBI single clinching Broomfield’s first state title.

“I always told them if we pitch and we play defense, and if we hit, we’re a really dangerous team,” said Broomfield softball head coach Kale Gilmore, who also led the Eagles baseball team to a state title in 2022. “Turns out, we were a really dangerous team.”

The victory marked a full-circle moment for both Gilmore and Molloy.

Last year, Molloy was

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