The Niwot High girls’ softball team advanced to the state 4A tournament by winning the District 6 tournament. In the first game sophomore Melissa Butler pitched a no-hitter, but it took two days to get the win. 
 
The games were snowed out on Saturday and rescheduled to Monday. But in the middle of the second inning on Monday, weather again forced a postponement of the Niwot-Thunder Ridge game, with Niwot leading 3-0, thanks to a two-run first inning triple by Sarah Heredia. Tara Harbert and Amber Miller scored on Heredia’s hit and Abbey Smith walked and scored on three wild pitches in the second before the game was called due to rain. 
 
When the teams took the field the next day, Butler picked up where she left off and kept Thunder Ridge hitless in the sunshine while Niwot scored 3 more times. 
 
The victory qualified Niwot for state, but the Cougars didn’t stop there. Butler also pitched the district title game, giving up only 3 hits as Niwot won its first district title ever over Brighton by a score of 3-1. 
 
The game was tied until the top of the 7th when Kristen Moyer drove in 2 runs with a double. The hit was especially satisfying for Moyer since she had been unable to drive in runners in scoring position twice earlier in the game. 
 
The state tournament wasn’t as kind to the Cougars. The first round matched Niwot against Pueblo East. The game was a rematch of last year’s first round game, which Niwot won, 3-2, on its way to state runner-up. 
 
The teams had identical 14-8 records, but after a scoreless first inning, the roof caved in for Niwot. It didn’t help that 3 Niwot players were sick, including C-1B Stacey Hahn, who could not play at all. Butler gave up a couple of hits and a walk before a fly ball fell just beyond the reach of the right fielder. 
 
Niwot could muster only 2 hits, those by Harbert and Smith, but everything else hit hard was right at a Pueblo East fielder. Candice Morris relieved Butler, but fared no better as Pueblo East players had their hitting shoes on winning 10-0. Pueblo East’s season ended soon after Niwot’s with a 3-1 loss to state runner-up Mullen.