The Niwot Cougars will head out to face off against the Grand Junction Tigers at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Niwot's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Grand Junction's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Niwot is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Frederick just ended the team's eight-game winning streak on Tuesday. They lost 13-4 to the Golden Eagles. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Cougars, who until this game were averaging 3.57 runs allowed.
Kianna Butler was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over eight innings while giving up four earned (and nine unearned) runs off ten hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts every time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double.
In other batting news, Anna Halverson made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Even though they lost, Niwot didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with ten strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Frederick only tossed four.
Meanwhile, Grand Junction didn't have quite enough to beat Palisade on Thursday and fell 5-4.
Jaxon Clark spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up eight Ks. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts.
On the hitting side, Alexis Walpole made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with a triple, a stolen base, and a stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Alysa Lorimor, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
Niwot's defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-4. As for Grand Junction, their record is now 10-5.
Friday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Niwot hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of 0. However, it's not like Grand Junction struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
