Softball: Local pitchers dealing as postseason nears

Thought to be a rarity on the diamond, the mystique of the no-hitter seemed to go wholesale around town this past month.

The latest disappearing act on the state’s high school softball scene came courtesy of Holy Family’s Isabella Arroyo. The freshman flooded the scoreboard with zeros over a full seven innings in a win over Mead Tuesday.

On the short end of it, the Mavericks had been no stranger to the feat this fall — though just used to a different view of it. In the weeks prior, last year’s Class 4A state runner-up to the Tigers had gotten no-no’s from both studs in their rotation, Joslynn Veltien and Claire Adams.

And while Arroyo was dealing Tuesday afternoon, a couple klicks southwest of them, so was Broomfield’s Maycee Bricker. The Eagles senior tossed a blanket performance over Fairview — albeit over just three innings due to the mercy rule. Still impressive, she struck out eight of the nine batters she saw.

Call it one heck of a day for local pitchers. And now, moving forward, it’s those big-time arms providing those big-time performances that could spell a world of difference as the regular season winds down and the margin for error plummets in leniency.

Today, let’s look at where teams in the BoCoPreps.com coverage area sit with an eye on the top names on the mound.

Triple’s alley in 4A

Three teams are ranked inside the top five in the latest CHSAANow.com poll. And yes, it’s the usual suspects — 12-time champion Erie, defending champ Holy Family and the rising power from Mead.

After last fall saw the softball postseason brackets slashed in size, the format is back to normal. Thirty-two teams in each of three classifications will qualify for regionals (based on RPI standings and league play). Eight will host and 16 will move on to their designated state tournament.

Erie: No. 1 in the latest poll and third in RPI as of Friday night, the Tigers (18-2, 7-0 4A NCAC) have gotten sensational seasons from sophomore pitchers Matix Hull and Gracie Sackett. Hull is 5-0 with a 1.65 ERA through 42 1/3 innings. Sackett is 7-2 with a 2.10 mark in 56 2/3 frames. The tandem could spell another deep run.

Holy Family: The defending champs came into the week ranked third in the polls and arrived this weekend fourth in RPI. But of late, nobody has proven better. The Tigers (17-3, 7-0) beat both No. 1 Erie and No. 5 Mead over the past 10 days, and Thursday it ended No. 6 Windsor’s 12-game winning streak. At the forefront, Arroyo (10-0, 2.11 ERA) has yet to lose in the circle in her first high school season.

Mead: Fifth in the polls and ninth in RPI, the Mavs (14-8, 6-3) again appear to be among the contenders for a 4A title. Despite losing three of four coming into their win over Silver Creek Thursday, the Mavs went an impressive 10-3 in September. During the month, Veltien (10-6, 3.34) allowed more than three runs in just one of her nine appearances on the mound. For the season, she has 120 Ks in 88 frames.

Double play in 5A

Legacy: Fittingly, the Lightning have been marvelous in longtime coach Dawn Gaffin’s final season at the helm. Fourth in the 5A poll and sixth in RPI, Legacy had won nine straight headed into the weekend. A week ago, Khloe Kubitschek and Janessa Esquibel each threw mini no-hitters in consecutive three-inning wins over Poudre and Fairview.

Broomfield: Breanna Fiala and Bricker have been a stellar duo atop the rotation for the Eagles, who were just outside of the top 10 in the latest 5A polls and were 13th in RPI. Fiala (6-7, 2.45) has 98 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings. Bricker, meanwhile, is 7-1 and has a 0.99 ERA in 49 2/3 innings.

Extras

Boulder: It continues to be among the best stories in the sport, now 20-1 on the season, the best mark for the program in recent memory. Freshman Riley Bowman has the second-lowest ERA in the state at 0.42. The Panthers came into the weekend 21st in 4A RPI.

Frederick: Working nearly 90% of the innings on the mound for Frederick, Hayley Howell (11-4, 3.40) has more RBIs (36) than earned runs allowed (33). Frederick came into the weekend ranked 19th in 4A RPI following a walk-off win over Niwot Tuesday followed by a nine-inning loss to 4A No. 4 Riverdale Ridge Thursday.

Niwot: The Cougars, 24th in 4A RPI, came into the weekend 11-10 with a runs-for to runs-against margin of 196-181. They’ve won three of four.

Lyons: The Lions have had an up-and-down season that has included an eight-game losing streak and a stretch of four wins in five games. They came into the weekend ranked 15th in 3A RPI.

Peak to Peak: The Pumas, who haven’t played in a while, are 17th in 3A RPI. Last weekend, they snapped a three-game losing skid with a 14-12 win over Skyview.

Among teams on the black trying to squeeze into the regional brackets is Silver Creek, which is 33rd in 4A RPI and has received votes for top-10 consideration in the latest poll. Monarch, meanwhile, came into the weekend 38th in 5A RPI.


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