Softball Preview: Longmont Trojans vs. Niwot Cougars
Longmont has been away from home for three games now, but on Thursday they'll finally make their return. They will host the Niwot Cougars at 3:30 p.m. Longmont is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
Longmont lost 10-1 to Frederick on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Niwot came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.7 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Knights 11-1. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by ten runs or more this season.
Kianna Butler made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts every time she's pitched this season. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with a home run.
In other batting news, Simone Paterno was a standout: she scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Anna Halverson, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Niwot always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .533. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fairview only posted an OBP of .211.
Longmont dropped their record down to 9-5 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road. As for Niwot, their victory bumped their record up to 6-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Longmont has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Niwot struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Longmont's way against Niwot in their previous meeting back in October of 2022 as Longmont made off with a 12-0 win. Will Longmont repeat their success, or does Niwot have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
