Niwot's remarkable softball season ends in State Tournament battle

The Niwot High School softball team's impressive postseason journey came to an end Friday at the Aurora Sports Complex, as the Cougars fell to fifth-ranked Holy Family High School, 8-3, in the 4A State Championship Round of 16. The loss marked the conclusion of a successful season for the Cougars, who finished with a strong 16-10 overall record and 7-4 in league play.

Fresh off two victories in the Tournament of 32 Teams in Pueblo, Niwot faced a familiar opponent in Holy Family, which had previously defeated the Cougars 4-1 in a hard-fought battle earlier this season. The Tigers wasted no time asserting themselves, launching a solo home run to center field in the bottom of the first inning to take an early lead.

The game remained tight until the fourth inning when Holy Family extended their advantage to 4-0. However, the Cougars showed resilience in the sixth inning, mounting a spirited comeback that began with Simone Paterno's single. May Herrera followed with a memorable moment, crushing her first home run of the season to breathe life into Niwot's offense.

The rally continued as Anna Halverson reached second base on a single and an error, setting up Payton Johnson who drove her home with a double to left field, bringing the score to 5-3 in favor of Holy Family. The Tigers pulled away, scoring three more runs for the 8-3 victory despite Niwot's late-game surge.

Holy Family's own championship aspirations were later halted in the semifinals, as the Tigers fell 5-2 to Lutheran High School, which went on to capture a fourth consecutive state title with a 1-0 victory over Windsor High School in the championship game.

Niwot ended the season with a record at home of 7-2, and 7-7 away (2-1 neutral), taking sixth place in the 5A/4A/3A Granite Peaks league. The team soared above the national average this season in plate appearances (749), at-bats (663), runs scored (164), and hits (202).

Herrera led the team in batting on the season (.459), with a stunning .529 on-base percentage, and 34 hits. Payton Johnson led the squad in runs batted in with 24, while Payton Stokes, Angela Arosemena, and Mandy Roth each had 14 stolen bases.

Halverson also topped the charts with a .373 batting average, 28 hits, and 19 RBIs.

Roth and catcher Saleen Amaya were at the top in fielding percentage (.986), while Kianna Butler, whose batting average on the season was a whopping .400, closed the season with an impressive 1.54 ERA, and 222 strikeouts, 57 more strikeouts than last season.

The loss to Holy Family marked the final high school softball appearance for seven Niwot seniors, who helped lead the program to a successful campaign, including the postseason run to the state tournament.