Berthoud High softball teams heads to state
When challenged, one has the choice of backing down or fighting back. The Berthoud High School (BHS) softball team has chosen the latter. All. Season. Long.
Berthoud, by winning two of three games at last Saturday’s regional tournament at Riverdale Ridge in Thornton, earned their spot in this weekend’s 4A state championships. In getting to state, BHS – long a softball powerhouse – breaks their three-season state-less streak in making a return to Colorado’s ultimate high school softball showcase.
The three game, double-elimination format of regionals provided a microcosm of Berthoud’s season – when they get punched in the mouth, their next jab provides the K-O. Berthoud defeated Lewis Palmer 6-2 in the opening game, they were then shellacked 10-0 by host Riverdale, who claimed the regional crown. But the Lady Spartans threw a haymaker in the do-or-die third game, again defeating Lewis Palmer, this time in mercy-rule shortened fashion, 11-1 in five innings.
“We challenged them to respond and this year, after a tough loss, we’ve responded, every time, when we played tough games, when we got run off the field by (University), when we got run off the field by Strasburg, in the second game against Elizabeth, the girls have always responded,” said Berthoud Head Coach, Buddy Kouns. “We got (to state), now anything can happen.”
Kouns and his staff identified a weakness in Palmer’s defense prior to the opening game of the tournament and, coupled with their predilection for the small-ball style, knew precisely how to exploit it.
After senior Mollie Davidson got Berthoud off the schneid in the fourth inning with a homer to knot the game at 1-1, the Lady Spartans began to manufacture runs in the fifth. Allie McCrea singled, advanced to third when Jessa Jorissen reached on an error. Jorissen would steal second, giving Berthoud two runners in scoring position with zero outs.
Mollie McCrea put the ball in play and, after it was mishandled by the Palmer shortstop, allowing Jorissen and Allie to score, reached first safely. A passed ball allowed Mollie to advance to second and she came home to give Berthoud a 4-1 lead when Gracie Flores doubled. Flores and Cemryn Pickett would subsequently score, the latter when Davidson hit a chopper down the third baseline and hustled to beat the throw to first, giving Berthoud a 6-1 lead.
On working to create, Kouns explained, “We watched (Palmer) taking in and out before game one and we thought we could take advantage of a couple of the defensive players that they had, it’s all on the girl executing it, but it was all about let’s create, let’s put pressure on them, and we made it work.”
While the lineup proved adept at creating runs, stellar pitching from Pickett – 16 strikeouts and two earned runs in seven innings in the circle – and superb play in the field – Berthoud did not commit a single error in the field and often went the extra mile; freshman catcher Lexie Griffin literally crashed into the fence to secure an out on a pop up down the first baseline in the second inning – were equally critical in the win.
Berthoud’s next game, however, against No. 4 seed Riverdale proved a different story. Pickett and the Berthoud defense were lit up in the first inning; Riverdale worked four walks and hit two homeruns, chasing Berthoud’s ace from the game with a seven-run first.
Lily Dodd replaced Pickett and did yeoman’s work under brutally tough circumstances. The sophomore pitched the final three and one-thirds innings for BHS, surrendering just a single earned run on five hits. “Lily battled her butt off,” Kouns said, “I was really proud of her coming in and in a tough situation against a good team, she really battled there in a tough spot.”
Palmer defeated Evergreen 12-2 in the playback game, setting up the rematch against Berthoud with a state berth on the line. And relent the Lady Spartans did not.
Flores walked to leadoff, stole second and then stole third. Pickett doubled her in to score the first run. An error allowed Lauren Zavednak-Lucero to reach first and advance Pickett to third. Davidson worked a walk to load the bases and Allie put the ball in play to make the score 3-0 in Berthoud’s favor. Mollie walked, advanced to second on a beautifully executed bunt by nine-hole hitter Mason Premer – who shined as a standout defensive third baseman in all three games – and scored on a Flores double.
The Lady Spartans added three runs in both the fourth and fifth frames, while Pickett surrendered just two hits as BHS clinched the game after five innings.
Pickett explained that facing the same lineup in twice in one day can pose a challenge, but also an opportunity. “I definitely feel better after I saw them and knew what they were about, I knew to look out for certain batters and where their weakest pitch was and tried to locate there,” she said. “I had already dominated them once but they had also already seen me so I tried to move it around and keep them guessing.”
Flores, who finished the day three-for-six with three RBI, four runs and three steals, explained the team never worried after the loss to Riverdale, knowing their goal of making state was still within reach. “We knew just had to shift our energy onto our collective goal, we knew that we had to put in our best effort. I think what’s really keeping us together is we’re out here doing it for each other and I think that’s really awesome, it’s what makes this team special,” Flores said, adding that making it to state in her senior year is, “so amazing, this has been our goal all season, it’s what we’ve been working for and it feels really good.”
Berthoud earned the No. 13 seed in the 16-team 4A state championship tournament and will face off with No. 3 ranked Windsor in the opening round this Friday at 12:15 at the Aurora Sports Park.
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