NHS softball team has a mixed week of play

Although Niwot High School's softball team has been off to a strong start and is showing a strong sense of teamwork, this week saw the girls continue to experience both the highs and the lows of growth together.

Tuesday's game saw the girls winning handily over their opponents, the Mountain View Lions. They played well together as a team in the field, and showed up at the plate, with a collective batting average of .310. Second baseman Zoe Chociej continued her strong performance, going 3 for 3 in the game, while shortstop Autumn Rutherford made a spectacular play in the infield to retire the last Mountain View batter.

The team had a slow momentum to their win, gaining a single run in the first, second and third innings, with nothing in the fourth and two runs in the fifth. Then they had a blockbuster five runs in the sixth inning that ultimately allowed them to prevail with a score of 10 to 2.

Thursday's game was a different story, as the team met the undefeated Riverdale Ridge Ravens. The Cougars lost by a score of 11 to 1, with their lone run scored when pitcher Anne Booth drove a single that brought Rutherford across the plate.

Although the team has seen both wins and losses this season so far, they're still ranked in the middle of the 4A Longs PeakLeague. "It's been an exciting start to the season with some new young kids coming in and some veterans we've seen through the last couple of years," said Joe Brown, Niwot High School Athletic Director following Tuesday's game.

He continued, "We've seen some real growth already, they're making plays in the infield, fielding balls in the outfield, and their bats are staying hot. They seem to be really putting things together. The kids and coaches do such a great job. It will be fun to see the season through to the end."

Mountain View 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2

Niwot 1 1 1 0 2 5 10

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

Booth (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) W (7 9 2 2 0 0)

Niwot 0 0 0 0 0 1 = 1

Riverdale Ridge 2 4 0 3 0 2 = 11

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

Booth (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) L (5 8 11 10 6 5)