Niwot baseball has split week with one win, two losses

The Niwot High School baseball team experienced mixed results this past week, securing a road victory against Horizon High School before dropping consecutive home games to Centaurus High School and Mead High School.

During the Tuesday, April 8, game against Horizon, the Cougars showed both strength and strategy to defeat Horizon 4-2 on the road.

The Cougars started strong with a double from Kaige Kennedy in the opening inning to drive in Haden Shaw for the game's first run. Horizon quickly responded with a two-run homer to right field in the bottom half, taking a 2-1 lead.

Niwot evened the score in the second inning when Haden Shaw brought home the tying run with a fielder's choice. The game remained tied at 2-2 until the fourth inning, when Nico Castro scored on a wild pitch and Kennedy drew a walk to bring in run number four, extending the lead to 4-2, which would be the final score.

Starting pitcher Henry Noblin delivered a complete game performance, scattering five hits over seven innings while striking out eight and walking just one batter. The Cougars' offense collected four hits, with Kennedy, Noblin, Arlo Richards, and Drew Stapp each recording one hit. Niwot's aggressive baserunning resulted in six stolen bases from Stapp (1), Richards (1), Noblin (1), Haden Shaw (2), and Castro (1).

On Thursday, Niwot faced Centaurus at home. Despite a dominant pitching performance from Kennedy, the Cougars fell short on their home turf. Kennedy struck out 10 batters while allowing just three hits and one run over five innings, but Niwot's offense couldn't generate enough support, resulting in a 4-1 loss.

Richards, Kennedy, Jagger Kilpatrick, and Haden Shaw each managed one hit for the Cougars, with Kennedy driving in the team's lone run while going 1-for-3 at the plate. Kennedy, Richards, and Jack O'Hara all had mound time on Thursday for the Cougars.

The Cougars struggled in Saturday's home matchup against Mead High School, falling 13-1. Mead jumped out to an early lead, scoring five runs in the first inning and adding two more in the second to build a commanding 7-0 advantage.

O'Hara spent the first two innings on the mound for Niwot, allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits and striking out four. Braxton Logue pitched the next three innings in relief, surrendering five runs (two earned) on five hits, with two strikeouts. Cameron O'Connor pitched the seventh inning allowing two hits and one earned run.

Niwot's offense was limited to four hits, with Richards, O'Connor, Logan Waldron, and Charlie Shaw each collecting one hit. Richards drove in the Cougars' only run, finishing 1-for-3.

The Cougars will take to the road on Tuesday, April 15 to face Monarch High School before returning home for back-to-back games against Fairview High School on Thursday, April 17 at 4:00 p.m. and Wheat Ridge High School on Saturday, April 19 at 2:00 p.m.