Conifer softball beat No. 6 Frederick 2-0 on Friday.
Category: Softball
-
Evergreen softball topples Green Mountain in 4A Jeffco opener
LAKEWOOD — Only thing Evergreen sophomore Dillyn Collins might want to work on is her slide into home plate.
“We don’t talk about that,” Collins said laughing about her awkward knee first slide to score during the Cougars’ 3-run third inning late Thursday afternoon at Green Mountain High School.
Evergreen sophomore Dillyn Collins was dominating with 15 strikeouts during the Cougars’ 8-2 victory Thursday over Green Mountain. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Collins was elegant with her pitching during a dominating 8-2 road victory for the Cougars. Collins racked up 15 strikeouts during her complete-game win on the hill for Evergreen in the Class 4A Jeffco League opener.
“She (Collins) is really starting to command the circle out there,” Evergreen coach Heather Dose said. “She is really starting to trust her defense too, which is huge. She is letting them work which is very helpful.”
Collins struck out the side three times and ended the game with her 15th and final strikeout. The sophomore was able to keep the Rams off-balance for most of the game and used her curveball effectively.
It was just the second win of the season for the Cougars (2-7 record, 1-0 in league) after a 0-6 start that featured facing several strong 5A Jeffco League programs — Arvada West, Chatfield, Pomona and Ralston Valley.
“We are a young team and we played some tough teams,” Collins said of the Cougars that doesn’t have a single senior on the squad this year. “We have been working really hard for the last month and I think it is really going to pay off.”
While Collins was sharp limiting Green Mountain (4-3, 0-1) from getting much going offensively, the Cougars had just four hits themselves but took advantage of five walks and four Ram errors.
“We’ve been struggling at the plate a little bit,” Dose admitted. “We need to find other ways to get runners around. The girls have that mentality to do whatever to help my team.”
Evergreen junior Jackie Donoho watches the ball after ripping a shot just foul during the Cougars’ league opener Thursday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Evergreen plated three runs in both the third and fourth innings on just three hits to take a commanding 7-1 lead. Collins, sophomore Sidney Phillips and junior Jackie Donoho managed the hits during the two-inning stretch.
“It was a good way to start the conference,” Dose said. “The girls have been working all season long for this. We opened up playing some really good 5A teams. They get a little upset with our record, but they work past that, keep working and keep building.”
Evergreen returns to the field Monday as it travels to face rival Conifer. The Lobos are on a 3-game winning streak that includes wins over 5A Jeffco’s Arvada West and Pomona.
The 4A Jeffco League schedule wraps up the final week of September. With no regional tournaments this season due to the COVID pandemic only the conference champion in each 4A league get an automatic bid. The remainder of the 16-team state field for the state tournament scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, at Aurora Sports Park will be determined by RPI.
“It’s game-by-game, inning-by-inning,” Dose said of league play. “That has the focus we’ve had since we got through preseason (non-league) schedule. Now we are ready.”
The conference road does get any easier for the Rams. Green Mountain has road games at No. 2 Wheat Ridge (Saturday) and D’Evelyn (Monday) over the next four days.
Junior Marley Behm led the Rams offensively against Evergreen. Behm went 2-for-3 from the plate that included a triple in the sixth inning. Junior Morgan Falconer also had two hits for Green Mountain in the loss that ended a 2-game winning streak for the Rams.
Green Mountain junior Marley Behm, left, slides into third base for a triple during the Rams’ 8-2 loss to Evergreen on Thursday afternoon. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Lineup balance has Mead softball off to a monumental start to the season
(Lisa Hayes/StillOfTheMomentPhotography.com) One look through the Mead batting order and it’s tough to figure out who’s the best hitter to have up in a clutch situation.
In reality, it could be anyone from the leadoff spot to the nine-hole. The Mavericks are as consistent as can be from top to bottom and that’s a big reason that they’re currently ranked No. 1 in the Class 4A softball rankings and also a perceived favorite to make a run at a state championship.
The season opened with wins over Elizabeth and Windsor, but it wasn’t until a 12-4 win over defending champion Erie that the Mavericks truly felt like they had something special coming together this season.
“It’s all about a team-first attitude,” coach Amanda Macaluso said. “Our chemistry is amazing this year. I think part of has to do with COVID and the fact that we’re just so grateful to be playing in any way shape or form. They’re all about whatever the team needs.”
She’s not lying. Although the Mavericks lineup varies in terms of batting order, every other key stat is consistent no matter who is at the plate. No one has more than nine RBIs and six players have at least five. The team has hit eight home runs with three players responsible for two bombs a piece while two others have one to their names.
“We just have a really strong one through nine,” junior Emily Sauvageau said. “We don’t have any easy outs in our lineup. You go through the whole thing and it’s really difficult to get anyone out.”
(Steve Oathout) That especially helps when on the defensive side when the pitching staff is led by a sophomore. Josslynn Veltien has been everything Mead needs her to be to balance out a well-producing lineup. In 46 innings she’s given up just 18 earned runs while striking out 52 hitters.
Perhaps her biggest test came just last week when the Mavericks needed 11 innings to get a hard-fought win over Silver Creek. Getting through that one and keeping their record unblemished gave the Mavericks that little extra bit of confidence that this could be their year.
“In that game we didn’t give up,” Veltien said. “We kept pushing. We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. In the future we know that if we get into tight games like that, we won’t just freak out and give it up.”
Add mental toughness to the list of reasons Mead is firing on all cylinders this year. Veronica Elsis’ nine RBIs help. She shares the team lead in hits at 11 with Delaney Wilson and Savanna Griebling. Sauvageau is batting .500 and “seeing watermelons at the plate right now” according to Macaluso.
Adding in mental toughness can make a team playing so well even more unstoppable.
“In years past, our biggest struggle is that we couldn’t win those close games,” Macaluso said. “We didn’t have the confidence that if they were wearing an Erie Tigers jersey, we were already defeated. We completely overcome that panic, if you will, and we are really just confident in each and every kid and every at-bat. They trust each other.”
The Mavericks still have games remaining against Erie and Holy Family, the last two 4A state champions. But with wins against both team already, they’re hoping they can continue to show that anyone looking to claim a state title has to go through them first.
(David Johnson/davidjohnsonphotography.org) -
Check the latest RPI standings for softball
Browse the latest RPI standings for softball in all classes for the 2020 season.
-
Softball rankings: Five newcomers join the polls
(David Johnson/davidjohnsonphotography.org) Five new teams hopped into the softball rankings this week: Grand Junction Central, Cherokee Trail, Ponderosa, Mesa Ridge, and La Junta.
The polls, voted upon by head coaches around the state, will serve as part of the seeding criteria in softball this season. Polls are released each Monday during the regular season.
Complete rankings for each class are below.
[divider]
CHSAANow.com Softball Polls
Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings will factor into postseason seeding. More information is available here.
Class 5A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS 1 Rock Canyon (12) 7-0-0 145 1 2 Broomfield (1) 8-0-0 110 5 3 Fossil Ridge 7-1-0 108 2 4 Legacy (1) 5-1-0 94 3 5 Smoky Hill 6-0-0 77 6 6 Chatfield (1) 7-2-0 69 4 7 Lakewood (1) 3-0-0 66 7 8 Grand Junction Central 4-2-0 38 – 9 Legend 3-2-0 37 10 10 Cherokee Trail 3-1-0 27 – Others receiving votes: Castle View 23, Columbine 23, Rocky Mountain 21, Cherry Creek 18, Brighton 13, Douglas County 10, Hinkley 10, Arvada West 7, Highlands Ranch 7, Horizon 6, Fountain-Fort Carson 5, Mountain Range 5, Chaparral 4, Eaglecrest 3, Fort Collins 3, Rampart 2, Arapahoe 1, Ralston Valley 1, ThunderRidge 1, Valor Christian 1. Dropped out Columbine (8), Cherry Creek (9). Class 4A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS 1 Mead (12) 7-0-0 164 1 2 Wheat Ridge (5) 5-0-0 150 2 3 Holy Family (1) 3-2-0 112 3 4 Erie 4-2-0 79 4 5 Riverdale Ridge 5-1-0 56 10 6 Frederick 5-1-0 52 5 7 Silver Creek 2-4-0 35 6 8 Air Academy 4-1-0 33 7 9 Ponderosa 2-0-0 29 – 10 Mesa Ridge 5-0-0 23 – Others receiving votes: Pueblo South 21, Pueblo West 21, Windsor 20, Conifer 17, Pueblo Central 16, Northfield 16, Pueblo Centennial 12, Discovery Canyon 11, Roosevelt 11, Mountain View 9, Mullen 8, Berthoud 7, Coronado 5, Bear Creek 4, Pueblo County 4, Golden 3, Severance 3, Durango 1, Elizabeth 1, Evergreen 1, Niwot 1, Palisade 1, Standley Lake 1. Dropped out Pueblo South (8), Windsor (9). Class 3A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS 1 University (8) 5-1-0 106 1 2 Eaton (1) 5-1-0 90 2 3 Rocky Ford (1) 5-0-0 80 3 4 Limon 5-1-0 54 4 5 Lyons 3-2-0 46 7 6 Sterling 4-2-0 45 10 7 Brush 3-3-0 42 6 8 Strasburg 4-3-0 40 5 9 Lutheran (1) 5-1-0 35 9 10 La Junta 2-1-0 20 – Others receiving votes: Lamar 16, Peak to Peak 11, Basalt 8, Cedaredge 5, Fort Lupton 3, Montezuma-Cortez 3, Weld Central 1. Dropped out Lamar (8). -
SMAC information regarding poor air quality from smoke
As wildfires across Colorado continue to burn, the air quality across the state is a concern. Please see the following information from the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.
[divider]
ATTENTION ATHLETIC TRAINERS
As you may be aware, our state is currently experiencing wildfires in various locations throughout the state. As a result, air quality throughout our state, and in the affected areas specifically, has been impacted. We urge you to visit the SMAC Handbook and Air Quality section of the Sports Medicine page on CHSAANow for helpful information.
As referenced from the CHSAA Sports Medicine Handbook:
AIR QUALITY INDEX (AQI)
The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you.
MANAGEMENT
- Distance runners should avoid running next to busy roadways.
- Ozone exposure can be lessened by early morning work outs.
- Athletes with asthma must be carefully monitored when AQI is above 100.
- Athletes with asthma should always have a rescue inhaler readily available.
- Practices, contests, and outdoor activities should be modified or moved indoors when AQI is above 100 and consideration given to rescheduling or moving them when AQI is greater than 200.
In order to quickly assess the daily AQI in your area, please refer to this website:
Other resources for information on air quality:
-
No. 4 Chatfield softball bounces back with win over Ralston Valley
LITTLETON — The sprint toward the Class 5A Jeffco League softball title officially got underway late Friday afternoon at Chatfield High School.
Chatfield — No. 4 in the 5A CHSAANow.com rankings, but coming off a tough 8-7 loss Wednesday to D’Evelyn — hosted Ralston Valley to being conference play in a league that featured three ranked teams.
Chatfield senior Courtney Bidwell rounds the bases during her solo home run in the first inning to help spark the Chargers to a 4-0 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Senior Courtney Bidwell sparked the Chargers early with a solo home run in the first inning and senior pitcher Izzy DiNapoli did her share pitching a 3-hit shutout of the Mustangs.
“The loss to D’Evelyn kind of showed us the power we needed more on the offensive end,” Bidwell said after an impressive 4-0 victory. “When I came up that first at-bat I knew we needed to rally early in the game. It really started the game off well.”
Sophomore Avery Rohlman’s flare to left field dropped to score the second run in the bottom of the first inning for Chatfield (7-2 record, 1-0 in league). DiNapoli and sophomore Brooklyn Levin both had RBI hits in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend the lead to 4-0.
DiNapoli was 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles to go along with her 11 strikeouts in the circle for the Chargers.
“The seniors had never beat Ralston Valley before. We really wanted to,” said DiNapoli, who also admitted she had been struggling at the plate before the break-out game to open conference play. “After we lost Wednesday we really focused on winning going into league.”
With no regional tournaments to qualify for the 5A state tournament during the shortened and changed season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 16-team state field will be determined differently this year. The league champion in each 5A conference will earn a bid and the remainder of the field will be determined by RPI rankings.
The change this season makes league play in deep leagues like Jeffco even more important.
Chatfield senior Izzy DiNapoli pitched a 3-hit, complete-game shutout Friday against Ralston Valley. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “There is a lot more pressure without regionals,” Bidwell said. “Winning league is our No. 1 goal right now.”
Chatfield looked like the front-runner and favorite to win the conference title after the strong performance against Ralston Valley (3-4, 0-1).
“We had a great practice yesterday,” Chatfield coach Jen Lazzeri said. “They realized yesterday that we get to come out here and play sports. A lot of other people don’t. We have to come out, enjoy it and have fun.”
Lazzeri was impressed how her team responded to a number of defensive line-up changes with starting catcher Kailey Horton still out with a concussion. The bounce-back game from DiNapoli also proved how tough the Chargers are to beat when their ace pitcher is on.
“I think she (DiNapoli) took the D’Evelyn game pretty personally,” Lazzeri said of the DiNapoli giving up eight runs on 10 hits against the Jaguars. “When she is in a groove it’s a tremendous confidence booster for us.”
The win also broke a 2-game winning streak for Ralston Valley. The Mustangs had outscored their last two opponents (Evergreen and Golden) 29-2. Senior Laney Clark was one of the few bright spots for Ralston Valley. Clark went 2-for-3 from the plate for the Mustangs.
“Ralston Valley is a great team. This is a big step for us,” Lazzeri said. “Our girls need to not have their eyes on the prize. Let’s enjoy every day and the time we are together.”
Ralston Valley senior Jaiden Geist (24) stretches for the ball as Chatfield junior Peyton Shepard sprints toward the bag. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Photo: Legend softball beats crosstown rival Chaparral
Legend softball picked up a rivalry win with a 17-2 victory over Chaparral on Friday.
-
Photos: Elizabeth softball looks strong in win over Sand Creek
Elyssa Bain went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs to lead Elizabeth softball to a 14-0 win over Sand Creek on Thursday.
-
Photos: Aragon drives in three runs to help Fort Collins softball top Monarch
Tatum Aragon went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs to help Fort Collins softball beat Monarch 7-5 on Thursday.