Cougar softball victories include no-hitter

Niwot High School's softball team entered into the Labor Day weekend at fifth place in the 4A Longs Peak league. They finished out the last week of August with a 5-3 record, a persevering attitude and excitement for how the rest of the season will proceed. With a few weeks of experience, the team is getting to know how they'll work together on the field, maintaining focus and appearing to build on-field connections.

On Aug. 24, the Cougars started the day with a 15-0 win over Thompson Valley, with kianna Butler pitching a three-inning no-hitter. The game was never close as Niwot scored 11 runs in the bottom of the first inning. Every Cougar in the lineup had at least one hit, with Saleen Amaya and Autumn Rutherford leading the way, each with three hits in three at bats. Amaya had three RBIs, while Rutherford added two and scored twice. Anne Booth had a homerun among her two hits, scoring twice and driving in two runs. May Herrera, Jenna Hobson and Butler each contributed two hits as well.

In the second game of a round-robin tournament, Niwot battled to a 1-0 victory over Lyons, with Rutherford driving in Payton Johnson with a double in the fifth inning for the game's only run. Butler picked up the shutout with a two-hitter.

Aug. 26 saw the Cougars cruise to a 14-2 win over Peak to Peak. Butler and Camryn Legh shared the pitching duties, while Rutherford and Booth led the offense. Rutherford had a monster day at the plate, going 4-4 with two homeruns and two doubles, driving in four runs and scoring three times. Booth went 3-3 with a homerun and three RBIs. Saleen Amaya and Julie Philofsky each had two hits.

Tuesday's away game in Loveland against the Mountain View High School Mountain Lions saw the Cougars prevail by a score of 15-0. Niwot was ahead 6-0 by the top of the second inning, adding four more runs by the top of the third, one in the fourth and four more in the fifth. Offensive leaders for the game included Madison Dodge with 4 RBIs, Butler with 3 RBIs, and Simone Paterno and Herrera with 2 RBIs apiece.

Niwot played the third-ranked Riverdale Ridge High School Ravens the next day but the outcome wasn't favorable. While the Cougars started with a 1-0 lead, thanks to an RBI from Rutherford, the Ravens pushed ahead with three runs in the fourth inning and stayed on top for the rest of the game. Although Niwot continued to battle, and Butler showed resilience on the mound, Niwot's bats stayed quiet. The Cougars ultimately lost by a score of 8-1.

Niwot will return from the holiday weekend with a game on Tuesday and then a two-day tournament in Loveland for the weekend.

Loveland Mountain View Mountain Lions 0 0 0 0 0 - 0

Niwot Cougars 6 0 4 1 4 - 15

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

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

Riverdale Ridge Ravens 0 0 0 3 2 0 3 - 8

Niwot Cougars 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1

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

3 0 2 0.

Butler (W/L) (IP, H, R, ER, BB, K) L (7 7 8 0 6 5 8)