NHS Baseball returns to playoffs

Niwot assistant baseball coach Bobby Matthews said it well when he told the dejected players, "You put Niwot baseball back on the map," following an extra-inning loss in the second round of the state playoffs.

The Cougars, once a Class 4A powerhouse with five state championships in eight years, returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 when Niwot knocked off number three seed Denver North under former coach Craig McBride.

That playoff run ended in the second round, and the 2023 Cougars, after knocking off a higher seed, suffered the same fate.

Niwot, with a league record of 11-7, finished fourth behind Riverdale Ridge, which posted a record of 14-4. The Cougars were 14-9 overall to Riverdale Ridge's 21-4 record. The two teams split the regular season games, as Niwot was the only team in the league to beat every other team.

When it came time for CHSAA to seed teams for the playoffs, Niwot was seeded 26th, and Riverdale Ridge was seeded 10th. For the first round, the Cougars were matched against host Lewis-Palmer, 16-7, which entered the game seeded seventh.

The games were originally scheduled for Friday, May 19, but bad weather delayed the games to a rare Sunday contest. Niwot struck first, scoring two runs in the first inning on doubles by Brock Rothstein and Jed Kilpatrick, followed by a single by Haden Shaw.

In the bottom of the first, Lewis-Palmer scored once on a leadoff single, followed by a stolen base, a fly ball to centerfielder Sergio Pimental, and a sacrifice fly, again to centerfield. Lewis-Palmer had a runner on second base when a long fly ball to Niwot rightfielder Jaedyn Adler ended the inning.

The first inning ended with Niwot ahead 2-1, and as it turned out, that was also the final score, thanks to two stellar pitching performances and errorless defense by both teams.

Rothstein was on the mound for the Cougars, and after the first inning, faced the minimum number of batters. He allowed only two hits, the second one coming in the sixth inning, which was erased by a 6-4-3 double play as shortstop Kilpatrick and second baseman Henry Noblin turned it to first baseman Julian Lettow to end the inning.

Rothstein gave up only one walk, and that runner was thrown out by catcher Diego Castro on an attempted steal in the fourth inning. Niwot had only three more baserunners after the first inning, as Pimental reached on a hit-by-pitch in the third inning, Jagger Kilpatrick reached on a walk in the sixth, and Castro singled in the seventh.

Niwot played exceptional defense the entire game as Rothstein entered the bottom of the seventh inning without recording a strikeout. That soon changed.

Lewis-Palmer senior Matt Rhoades, who also pitched an outstanding game, entered the contest with 15 homeruns on the season. Rothstein worked carefully to the lefthanded hitter, who showed his power with a long drive that curved foul down the rightfield line. The three-hole hitter, who had been hit by a pitch in the first inning and walked in the fourth, worked the count full before Rothstein fired a fastball past him for a called third strike.

Lewis-Palmer's cleanup hitter, senior first baseman Blake Nelson, who had driven in their only run with a deep sacrifice fly in the first inning, was next. Rothstein worked carefully to Nelson, falling behind 3-0, but came back with two strikes to set up another full count payoff pitch. Once again Rothstein recorded a strikeout with a fastball.

With two outs, Rothstein faced Danny Cook, who had lined out in the fourth inning on a line drive back to the pitcher that was hit so hard Rothstein barely had time to react. Once again the count was full when Cook lofted a long fly ball to Pimental in centerfield that was caught for the final out, preserving the victory.

When league champion Riverdale Ridge beat Green Mountain 4-1 in the second game, it set up a rematch with Niwot in the regional championship.

Once again the Cougars scored early as Pimental led off with an infield single and scored on an error. With Niwot sophomore Jagger Kilpatrick on the mound, Riverdale Ridge was held hitless for four innings, but managed to score the tying run in the third inning on three walks and a balk call.

The Cougars came back to take a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning on a double by Haden Shaw followed by a single by Castro. Riverdale Ridge broke up the no-hitter in the fifth inning, scoring three times on a walk, single, double and sacrifice fly, sandwiched around an error on what appeared to be a missed call at first base on a bunt. The damage could have been worse, however, if not for a tremendous relay throw by Jed Kilpatrick to Castro at the plate to retire a runner trying to score on a single.

Down 4-2, Niwot picked up a run in the sixth on a double by Rothstein and a two-out single by Castro. In the top of the seventh, Noblin singled with one out, and Jagger Kilpatrick reached on an error. With two outs and runners on first and second, the Riverdale Ridge pitcher attempted a pickoff at first base and overthrew the ball down the rightfield line, allowing Noblin to score the tying run.

In the bottom of the seventh, with Noblin on the mound for his second inning of work in relief, a leadoff walk and a sacrifice put the potential winning run at second with one out. A base hit to centerfield looked like it could end the game, but a baserunning mistake by Riverdale Ridge and a strong relay throw from Jed Kilpatrick to Haden Shaw at third base resulted in the second out. A fly to Adler in right sent the game into extra innings.

In the eighth, Niwot put runners on second and third with one out as Haden Shaw reached on an error and Castro singled. With the infield in, designated hitter Charlie Shaw put the ball in play, but a strong throw home retired the runner and a strikeout ended the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, a single, a walk and single loaded the bases for Riverdale Ridge. With the infield in, the Riverdale Ridge hitter dribbled a ball towards third base, and the winning run scored without a play as the Cougars lost, 5-4.

With only four seniors, the Cougars and Coach Ken Rosales will return a strong core next spring with hopes of advancing further in the playoffs.