Photos by Will Cornelius
The varsity softball team at Berthoud High School won their regional tournament to book a spot at the 4A state tournament in Aurora.

By Will Cornelius
The Surveyor

After giving up two runs in the opening inning of the regional softball tournament at Bein Park last Saturday, Berthoud High School rallied to outscore their opponents 15-2 across two games to be crowned regional champions and capture the sixth seed in the state tournament.

“What I was thrilled with is, they got up on us 2-0 and we just kept grinding,” said Head Softball Coach Buddy Kouns after the tournament.

As hosts, the Spartans played Northridge High School first in the double-elimination tournament on Oct. 14. “We had been telling the girls all week that Northridge plays in a good league,” Kouns commented. “They’re better than what their record was.”

The game started as the annual solar eclipse passed the southwest corner of Colorado, creating a partial eclipse in Berthoud. However, there was nothing partial about it, as temperatures at 10:30 a.m. were still below 40 degrees and the sun’s rays were dimmed, making the game feel like it was played at daybreak.

It was so cold that starting pitcher Cemryn Pickett said she could not feel her fingers early in the game. “It was kind of rocky. It was a little up and down,” she said describing her pitching to start the game. Northridge capitalized with a two-run home run to open the game.

The Spartans responded in the second with a triumvirate of sophomores. First, Lexie Griffin hit a double, before fellow sophomore Maddie Kuntz took over as a pinch-runner and scored after a no-hit RBI from Jessa Jorrisen. A wild pitch in the third inning allowed Northridge to score another run, but it would be their last of the game.

Mollie McCrae and Willow Gray both notched RBIs in the fourth inning to even the game at 3-3. Two and a half tense and scoreless innings followed before Berthoud batted at the bottom of the seventh. After junior Shaylee Spears walked to first base, a single from Annabelle Hughes put Spears on third base in position to score the winning run. With the dugout screaming in excitement, next in the batting order was Griffin.
The varsity catcher and leading batter on the team delivered a deep clutch base hit into the right field as Spears raced home for the winning run. “The middle of our order has been productive for three-quarters of the season and Lexie has been clutch,” Kouns said post-game. “I had a good feeling when she stepped to the plate.”

“I got up there, I was a little nervous. I knew that we needed one run to advance to the next game,” Griffin explained. “Saw it all the way in and went for it.” Through 25 games, the sophomore leads the team with a 0.562 batting average and 34 RBIs.

“That was a nip and tuck. We were lucky to get out of it, but it shows the character of the group,” Kouns said about the close 4-3 win over Northridge. “We found a way to push some runs across.”

The Spartans kept their momentum going into their second game against Pine Creek High School scoring four runs in the first inning on their way to an 11-1 win. “It’s always nice to jump on an opponent and to get out fast and that’s what we were able to do,” Kouns explained.

From the circle, Pickett finished with 19 strikeouts, a double, a triple and a home run across the two regional tournament games.

The two wins made Berthoud the regional champions while also securing the sixth seed in the 4A state tournament in Aurora starting Oct. 20. “Everybody’s got a shot down there,” Kouns mentioned, but admitted, “I like this group.”

The six-seed Spartans will take on No. 11-seed Frederick High School this Friday at 12:15 p.m. at the Aurora Sports Park in the opening round of the state tournament. Berthoud came back late to beat Frederick 8-7 in their regular season meeting on Sept. 11. Last year the Spartans lost to rivals Windsor High School 3-2 in the opening round of the state tournament.

Asked what makes this year’s team different than other state qualifiers, Kouns said the team is deeper in belief. “They feed off each of other, but they also pick each other up.”