Cougars softball - 2 wins, 1 loss, and a barbeque

The Cougars girls softball team played three games last week, enjoying two wins by a large margin over the Thompson Valley Eagles and Mountain View Mountain Lions, before suffering a tough loss to the Riverdale Ridge Raptors.

"We definitely had a change of mindset throughout the week. We've been competing and having more fun, no matter what happens," said second baseman Zoie Chociej, summing up their play after the end of the third game. She spoke in between bites, enjoying an impromptu barbeque that two team dads, Mark Pacheco, father of outfielder Rose Pacheco and Steve Amaya, father of catcher Selene Amaya, brought to the varsity and JV players, coaches and supporters.

Monday's away game at Thompson Valley started off strong for the Cougars, as they scored five runs in the first inning. The Eagles showed fight with single runs in successive innings and didn't stop battling, but the Cougars also added runs throughout the game. Overall, pitcher Anne Booth and first baseman Zoe Cameron had two RBI each, with Julia Philofsky, Autumn Rutherford and Selene Amaya also driving in a run each. In the end, the Cougars prevailed, 7-4.

Tuesday's away game saw the Cougars winning against the Mountain Lions in three innings of play, run-ruling their opponents by one of the largest margins all season, 22-0. That victory saw strong play from all positions, with a highlight home run by Booth and two stolen bases by Philofsky.

On Thursday, the Cougars experienced their only defeat of the week, falling to the Riverdale Ridge Ravens at home, 8-1. Always a difficult team to best, the Ravens showed aggressive hitting and baserunning and also played well defensively. What appeared to be a run scored by Rutherford was negated when the umpire ruled that she had left her base too early. Second baseman Zoie Chociej hit a home run in the 6th inning which put the Cougars on the board, but that was Niwot's only run.

"I think we worked really, really hard but Riverdale Ridge has only lost one game this season," said outfielded Josephine Gravelle. "We fought really hard against them, and I think if we bring this level of passion to our games next week, we'll come out on top."

Overall the team is excited to play through the next few games. They're currently scheduled for an away game at Roosevelt Oct. 4, followed by the Senior Day Oct. 8, when the Cougars host a three game mini-tournament at home against Poudre and Longmont to finish out the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 8. Game times are 9:00 am against Poudre and 1:00 pm against Longmont.

Niwot Cougars 5 0 0 1 0 1 0 - 7

Thompson Valley Eagles 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 - 4

Niwot: (AB, R, H, RBI) Z. Cameron (1B) 3 1 1 2; J. Gravelle (RF) 4 1 2 0; P. Johnson (RF) 4 0 0 0; J. Philofsky (LF) 3 1 0 1; A. Booth (P) 4 1 1 2; J. Hobson (CF) 2 0 0 0;

A. Rutherford (SS) 3 2 2 1; S. Amaya (C) 3 0 1 1; S. Paterno 3 1 0 0

Booth (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) W (7 12 4 2 0 4)

Niwot Cougars 5 8 9 - 22

Mountain View Mountain Lions 0 0 0 - 0

Niwot (not in order): (AB, R, H, RBI) J. Gravelle (RF) 3 2 1 2; Z. Chociej (2B) 2 3 1 0;

P. Johnson 1 0 0 0 ; J. Philofsky (LF) 2 3 1 1; A. Booth (P) 2 3 2 3; J. Hobson (CF) 3 3 2 1; A. Rutherford (SS) 4 1 1 3; S. Amaya (C) 2 2 2 4; S. Paterno 2 2 1 1; S. Bitterman 3 1 2 1; L. Molina 1 1 1 1

Booth (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) W (3 1 0 0 0 5)

Niwot Cougars 0 2 0 3 1 2 0 - 1

Riverdale Ridge Ravens 0 2 4 0 0 1 1 - 8

Niwot (not in order): (AB, R, H, RBI) J. Gravelle (CF) 2 0 0 0; R. Pacheco (RF) 3 0 1 0; Z. Chociej (2B) 2 1 2 1; J. Philofsky (LF) 3 0 0 0; A. Booth (P) 3 0 1 0; J. Hobson (CF) 2 0 0 0; A.Rutherford (SS) 2 0 1 0 S. Amaya (C) 2 0 0 0; S. Paterno 2 0 0 0.

Booth (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) L (7 12 8 5 0 1)