NHS varsity softball finishes opening week with a win and a loss

Niwot High School's softball field was mowed in stripes and the seats on the hill above the Cougars' dugout were packed for the first varsity game of the season last Tuesday, Aug. 15. Although NHS classes hadn't started yet, Principal Eric Rauschkolb and Athletic Director Joe Brown were on hand to talk with students and wish the girls well.

"We're looking forward to a fun season and to learn expectations of the players as we go through," said Brown during the earlier part of the team's first game of the week. "Coach (Bobby Matthews) does a great job, the kids do a great job and we're excited."

Brown also spoke about what it meant to have depth in the number of softball teams playing for the school this season. "Having a JV, Varsity and C Team is just awesome. Seeing that there are that many kids excited about playing softball is fantastic for our school and our community. It's something we're looking forward to building on."

For their first game last Tuesday, the team was matched against the Frederick High School Golden Eagles. The players experienced a learning curve under the pressure of their first outing of in-season play.

Going into the fifth inning, the Cougars were leading 3-2, with runs scored by Julia Philofsky, Autumn Rutherford and May Herrera. Momentum shifted in the bottom of the inning when Frederick players crossed the plate four times through a combination of earned runs and Cougar fielding miscues. Although they were able to get on base several times after that, the Cougars didn't score again throughout the game, while the Golden Eagles scored twice more and came out with an 8-3 win.

Players hoped that their second outing of the week would improve over their first and that proved to be the case. The Cougars prevailed against the Skyline High School Falcons, 18-0, in a game that lasted just three innings due to the mercy rule. Kiana Butler picked up the victory in the circle, and had two hits including a triple, scoring twice and driving in a run. Camryn Legh added a double and scored two runs, while pitching the final inning. Neither Cougar pitcher allowed a hit.

In the end, Coach Matthews spoke about a week that contained contrasting outcomes. "We wish we could have gotten two wins but we had some good things happen early that can be corrected for the rest of the season. We were able to see girls in some spots and get everyone some playing time which will be beneficial down the road."

At the same time, he expressed his excitement for having three softball teams at the high school. "It's fantastic to have three teams again. It has been many years since we have had three teams. It will help us develop for the future but above that, we have the opportunity to grow the game at Niwot."

Frederick Golden Eagles 0 0 2 0 4 1 1 - 8

Niwot Cougars 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 3

Niwot: (AB, R, H, RBI) Z. Cameron (1B) 4 0 3 0; M. Dodge (RF) 1 0 0 0; C. Legh (2B) 2 0 0 0; K. Butler (P) 3 0 0 0; P. Johnson ( ) 1 0 0 0; J. Philofsky (LF) 3 1 0 0; Hobson (CF) 2 0 0 0; A. Rutherford (SS) 4 1 1 0; S. Amaya (C) 2 0 0 0; M. Herrera (3B) 3 1 2 0 S. Paterno (RF) 3 0 0 0.

Butler (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) L (7 9 8 3 1 7)

Niwot Cougars 12 4 2 - 18

Skyline Falcons 0 0 0 - 0

Niwot: (AB, R, H, RBI) E. Majka ( ) 1 1 1 0 Z. Cameron (1B) 1 1 0 0; M. Dodge (RF) 1 0 0 0; C. Legh (P) 1 2 1 0; K. Butler (P) 2 2 2 1; P. Johnson ( ) 1 0 0 0; J. Philofsky (LF ) 2 2 0 1; Hobson (CF) 1 2 1 1; A. Rutherford (SS) 1 1 1 1; S. Amaya (C) 2 2 1 0; M. Herrera (3B) 1 2 1 0 S. Paterno (RF) 1 2 1 0 S. Bitterman ( ) 0 1 0 0

Butler (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) W (2 0 0 0 0 4)

Legh (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) L (1 0 0 0 0 3)