It was a perfect day.

The weather – mid-60-degree temps, clear skies and barely a breeze – could not have been more perfect for an early autumn softball game. It was the perfect way to end the regular season – a 10-0 win over visiting Valley to extend the Berthoud High softball team’s winning streak to five games.

And Cemryn Pickett was perfect. Literally. Berthoud’s junior ace threw a perfect game; not a single Valley batter reached base in the five-inning, mercy-rule-shortened affair.

Photo by ACP Media – Berthoud junior Cemryn Pickett threw a perfect game – not one Valley batter reached base by any means – in the Lady Spartans’ 10-0 win in their regular season finale on Saturday morning. The perfect game was Pickett’s third no-hitter of the season and the win helped propel Berthoud to the No. 13 seed in 4A. The team will travel to Riverdale Ridge in Thornton for the regional tournament this Saturday.

“I’m so excited, I think I finally got dialed in and got in the right mindset for regionals,” said Pickett, who took her first step into the circle with an eight-run lead as Berthoud sent 12 to plate in the opening half-inning. “I felt like my movement was working really good and I was hitting spots.”

Pickett faced the minimum 15 batters and struck out 11 of them. Behind her, the Lady Spartans’ defense was perfect, recording the other four outs on perfectly fielded, perfectly executed plays in the field.

Not one of the four balls Valley put in play left the infield as first baseman Lauren Zavednak-Lucero recorded four putouts with one unassisted, second baseman Isabelle Guzman, third baseman Mason Premer and Pickett herself each one got an assist apiece on the four grounders induced.

Pickett conceded that having an eight-run cushion before she threw her first pitch of the game certainly helped her relax, but she had helped her own cause in the first by walking and scoring in her first at-bat and then tripling home fellow superstar Gracie Flores in her second as Berthoud took the early eight-zip advantage.

Flores got the hit parade started for the Lady Spartans in the first at-bat of the game with a double. Pickett followed with a walk and Zavednak-Lucero doubled to score Flores, a hit that provided all the runs Berthoud would need. Senior Mollie Davidson followed with a double, scoring Pickett and Zavednak-Lucero to make it 3-0.

With zero outs, Berthoud remained aggressive at the plate. Jessa Jorissen singled and a Valley error allowed her to advance to second and Davidson to score. Allie McCrae singled and, in the next at-bat, sister Allie McCrae hit a sharp grounder that was fielded at turned for an out but allowed Jorissen to come home.

Premer, the nine-hole hitter for Berthoud, singled to score Allie and put Berthoud up six. Flores hit her second double of the frame to score Premer and came home on Pickett’s single to give the Lady Spartans an 8-0 lead.

By scoring eight runs in the first it appeared as if Berthoud had the chance to end the game after three innings – state rules allow a game to be declared official if the home team has a 15-run or greater lead after three innings – but Valley pitcher Sophia Rodriguez kept working.

Kouns was complimentary of Rodriguez’s showing after the game, saying that while she might not be able to match the velocity of some other pitchers, her ability to hit precise locations in and very near to the strike zone forced Berthoud’s lineup to adjust their approach at the plate.

With two outs in the bottom of the third, Flores laced a single into the outfield that made its way past the Valley right fielder and rolled nearly to the fence. With her exceptional speed and baserunning savvy, Flores never broke stride and three-bag error saw the senior cross home plate to put Berthoud up 9-0. Shaylee Spears, who was substituted for Jorissen in the fourth frame, singled and advanced to third on an error, scoring Berthoud’s tenth run on a single from Allie McCrae.

Berthoud wrapped up the regular season as winners of five straight, finishing 15-8 overall and 10-2 in Patriot League play to claim second place in the 13-team conference.

“This gives us a lot of confidence too, so it’s not a bad thing either to have the confidence going in (to the postseason),” Kouns said. “If we play the way we can play, and Cem throws the way she throws, we can be scary to everybody. I feel like we’re heading in the right direction, we’re firing on all of our cylinders, we’re playing with confidence, we’re playing together. I’m really, really excited about this group.”

The Lady Spartans earned the No. 13 seed in the 4A where they will face off with No. 20 seed Lewis Palmer in the opening game at regionals this Saturday, hosted by No. 4 seed Riverdale Ridge, No. 29 seed Evergreen is the fourth team in the bracket. Two wins, in a maximum of three games, will send Berthoud back to the 16-team state championship tournament at the Aurora Sports Park on Oct. 21-22.