A winning opening week for Niwot Varsity Softball

After a challenging first away game at Frederick High School, Niwot varsity softball went on to a pair of victories and an overall winning record for the opening week of the season.

"I feel pretty good about week one," said Head Coach Bobby Matthews. "We were able to put a bad loss behind us on Tuesday and build off a good win on Thursday. It all came together on Saturday for the second win of the week."

Scores for the week tell the fuller story. After Tuesday's 20-3 loss to Frederick High School, Thursday brought a 14-10 victory against Skyline as the Cougars scored three runs in each of the 5th and 6th innings, with pitcher Anne Booth blanking Skyline in the 7th inning to preserve the win.

Saturday brought the second victory of the season against Silver Creek with 16 runs scored in the first three innings alone. Silver Creek was held to just one run in each inning, with the game called at the top of the 5th due to the mercy rule with a score of 16-4.

Notable moments throughout the week include home runs by several players and standout hitting by senior Zoe Chociej, who went 10-10 at the plate with two doubles, three home runs and nine RBI over the trio of games. Matthews called it "an amazing start to the season."

He said that overall, he was pleased with adjustments that players were making both at the plate and defensively. At the same time, he noted that as it's early in the season, with several new players at the varsity level for the first time.

"We still have a lot of season left, and a lot to do to improve and reach our goals," Matthews said. "But the team is working hard and buying in. Nothing good can happen if those two things don't happen. And I believe it is getting better every day as the team learns more about each other and what motivates them."

Niwot 5 7 4 0 - 16 12 1

Silver Creek 1 1 1 1 - 4 5 4

Niwot: (AB, R, H, RBI) J. Philofsky (LF) 4 0 1 3; A. Booth (P) 4 3 2 0; A. Rutherford (SS) 3 3 2 1; Z. Chociej (2B) 4 3 4 2; Z. Cameron (1B) 4 2 0 0; J. Hobson (CF) 4 3 2 3; R. Pacheco (RF) 2 1 0 0; S. Amaya (C) 2 0 0 2; Navarrette (CR) 0 1 0 0; S. Paterno (3B) 1 1 0 1.

Booth (W) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) 4 5 4 2 5 3.