The Thompson Valley Eagles will square off against the Niwot Cougars at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Thompson Valley was handed a nine-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Monday. They had just enough and edged out Berthoud 3-1. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 21, 2022, but that streak is no more.
Malachi Dougherty
| 03/31/25 @ Berthoud | 7 |
| 03/25/25 @ Sterling | 5 |
| 03/06/25 @ Wellington | 10 |
Malachi Dougherty tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Evan Raabe was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple and one run.
Meanwhile, Niwot hadn't done well against Longmont recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Cougars came out on top against the Trojans by a score of 6-1. The victory was some much needed relief for the Cougars as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.
Jagger Kilpatrick made a big impact no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Niwot is undefeated when he allows at most two walks, but 1-5 otherwise. Kilpatrick was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Charlie Shaw, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He is becoming a predictor of Niwot's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 2-4 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Haden Shaw, who went 2-for-3 with one double.
Niwot's win bumped their record up to 4-5. As for Thompson Valley, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 4-5.
Thompson Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against Niwot when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 4-2. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
