Cougar baseball falls short against Legacy and Fort Morgan

The Niwot High School baseball team showed resilience and offensive power but ultimately came up short twice, falling to Legacy High School 10-7 on Thursday, May 8, and to Fort Morgan High School 4-1 on Saturday, May 10.

In Thursday's game at Legacy, the Cougars' bats were active with an impressive 14 hits, but they couldn't overcome an early deficit. Legacy jumped ahead quickly, putting three runs on the board in the first inning against Niwot starter Braxton Logue. They continued to build their lead with three more runs during Kaige Kennedy's relief appearance in the third inning, followed by another three runs in the fourth against Cameron O'Connor to make it 10-0.

Niwot finally broke through in the top of the fifth when Drew Stapp singled to left field and later scored on Arlo Richards' line drive, putting the Cougars on the board. Jack O'Hara took over pitching duties in the fifth inning and held Legacy scoreless.

The Cougars' offense gained momentum in the sixth inning when Haden Shaw singled, followed by Henry Noblin's double. Charlie Shaw then doubled to drive in two runs, cutting the deficit to 10-3. Enzo Paterno came in to pitch the sixth for Niwot and kept Legacy from adding to their lead.

Niwot mounted an impressive rally in the seventh inning, starting with a leadoff walk to Paterno. Richards followed with a double, and Logan Waldron singled to drive in two runs. Jack Schrock then singled to put two runners on base for Haden Shaw, who also singled. Charlie Shaw capped off the rally with another double that drove in two more runs, bringing the final score to 10-7.

Charlie Shaw led the offensive charge against Legacy with two hits and four RBIs. Richards contributed three hits, one run, and one RBI, while Haden Shaw collected three hits and scored once. Waldron added one hit, one run, and two RBIs, while Stapp finished with two hits and one run. Schrock, Noblin, and Nico Castro rounded out the hit column for the Cougars.

Saturday's road game against Fort Morgan presented different challenges for Niwot. O'Hara started on the mound for the Cougars and pitched nearly four innings before Jagger Kilpatrick came on in relief in the fourth inning. Fort Morgan established control early with four runs in the bottom of the second inning.

The Cougars struggled offensively throughout most of the game, finally breaking through in the sixth inning. Richards doubled, followed by Kilpatrick's single to right field and a subsequent stolen base. Haden Shaw then singled to left, driving in Richards for Niwot's lone run of the game. The offense couldn't generate any further momentum, resulting in a 4-1 defeat.

Against Fort Morgan, the Cougars' offense was limited to just three hits, one each from Richards, Kilpatrick, and Haden Shaw, with Shaw recording the team's only RBI.

Niwot will look to bounce back in their upcoming games as they face Wheat Ridge High School at home on Monday, May 12, followed by an away game at Silver Creek High School on Tuesday, May 13.