Cougar softball advances to Sweet 16 of CHSAA state tournament play

The Niwot Cougars girls softball team is moving on to CHSAA state tournament play in Aurora as part of the Sweet 16. The Cougars prevailed in two of the three games at regionals this past weekend. Both winning games were against the Golden Demons, a team ranked second in the 4A Jeffco League and 23rd in Class 4A standings. That compares to Niwot's third-place Longs Peak League standings and 18th overall ranking statewide. It is the first time the team reached the CHSAA second week of play since the 2015 season.

"The team played with so much heart and passion, I could not have been more proud of them," said head coach Bobby Matthews. "We needed everyone to step up and contribute and they did. Everyone contributed to get us to the Sweet 16. The energy in the dugout was infectious and it carried everyone through three games. It isn't easy to play three games in a day and beat the same team twice. We are looking forward to going down to Aurora Sports Park again for the first time since the 2015 season. It has been too long."

The team's double victory over the Golden Demons, labeled as an upset by some media, was fueled by a total of four home runs and eight RBIs by senior third baseman Anne Booth. During some portions of the day it seemed like Booth drove the ball over the fence during each at bat. Senior shortstop Autumn Rutherford managed two home runs against the Demons, despite being intentionally walked multiple times.

The first game against the Golden Demons was a nail biter that ended in a 6-4 win. Freshman second baseman Camryn Legh had two RBIs and Zoe Cameron, Booth and senior Jenna Hobson also drove in runs, with Hobson going 4-for-4 at the plate and catching several tricky fly balls in the outfield. Cameron contributed an unassisted double play when she caught a low line drive near first base and stepped on first base before the runner could get back. Niwot held a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning when Golden scored three times to take a 4-3 lead. The Cougars came back with three runs in the top of the seventh to regain the lead, and pitcher Kiana Butler held the Demons scoreless in the bottom of the seventh.

The second game, against the Riverdale Ridge Ravens, was more predictable, though with a less positive outcome. First place in the 4A Longs Peak league and second in Class 4A overall, the Ravens went undefeated throughout the first part of tournament play and were one of the few teams the Cougars have not beaten in the second half of their season. The Cougars were run-ruled by the Ravens 16-3 after four innings, with all three of Niwot's runs coming off of two home runs by Booth. Legh pitched the game, using her skills as a second baseman to field several tricky infield hits. Freshman May Herrera, Junior Julia Philofsky and Cameron all had hits during the game.

The third game of the day was a repeat, high stakes matchup with the Demons that determined which team would go on to play the following weekend. It ended in a 15-9 victory for the Cougars that included two home runs and six RBIs by Rutherford who went 4-for-4 in the game, and two home runs and four RBIs by Booth who went 3-for-3. Pitcher Kiana Butler helped her own cause with three RBIs, and Legh also earned an RBI. Niwot scored twice in the first inning and never gave up the lead.

"Super proud of how the girls played," said Athletic Director Joe Brown after the game. "They showed a lot of grit in a long day of softball. A lot of people played some different positions today and did a great job." Niwot Principal Eric Rauschkolb, who was also on hand for the games, said, "The girls showed a lot of heart today, their defense was on point, their offense was on fire and you could tell that they did not want the season to end today."

The Cougars are seeded 14th for the next round and will play #3 seed D'Evelyn at 12:15 p.m. at Aurora Sports Park on Friday, Oct. 20.

Niwot Cougars 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 - 6

Golden Demons 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 - 4

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

Butler (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) W ( 7 7 4 0 3 0)

Riverdale Ridge Ravens 3 4 4 5 - 16

Niwot Cougars 1 0 2 0 - 3

Niwot: (AB, R, H, RBI) Z. Cameron; 2 0 1 0; M. Dodge 1 0 0 0; C Legh 4 2 2 1; K Butler 2 0 0 0; J. Philofsky 1 0 1 0, A Booth 2 2 2 3; J. Hobson 1 0 0 0; A. Rutherford 2 0 0 0; M. Herrera 2 1 1 0; S. Paterno 2 0 0 0

Legh (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) L (3 15 16 12 4 0)

Niwot Cougars 2 4 4 2 1 2 0- 15

Golden Demons 1 1 0 6 0 1 0 - 9

Niwot: (AB, R, H, RBI) Z. Cameron; 2 0 1 0; M. Dodge 2 1 0 0; C Legh 3 0 1 0; K Butler 4 0 2 3; P. Johnson 2 0 0 0, A Booth 3 4 3 4; J. Hobson 4 1 0 0; A. Rutherford 4 4 4 6; M. Herrera 5 1 1 0;

S. Paterno 2 4 2 0

Butler (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) W (6 11 8 7 3 2)

Legh (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB,K) / (1 2 1 1 0 0)