Baseball
Indians 1, SaberCats 0
FORT COLLINS — Keegan Villareal flirted with a no-hitter on Thursday, settling for a three-hit shutout of Fossil Ridge as Loveland remained unbeaten in Front Range League play.
Villarreal struck out nine and allowed two walks on a day the Indians’ needed a lift on the hill, limited to just four hits themselves. Ty McCaffrey helped him out with a diving catch in left field with the bases loaded. Jaxon Cabrera had a pair of hits out of the lead-off spot, one of them a triple driving in Villareal with a the lone run of the game in the third inning. Loveland is now 3-0 in the FRL, 7-3 overall.
“Keegan pounded the strike zone with his change up and fastball. Really all of his pitches were working today,” LHS coach Greg Brock said.”It was a great pitching performance, and I thought it was the best we’ve seen from him in the two years we’ve been here. It was a great confidence builder for him. He has great stuff, but he has had one bad inning. Today, he buckled down when they did get the lead-off hitter on.”
Mountain Lions 12, Cougars 2
NIWOT — Mountain View blew open the game with a 10-run fifth, backing a strong pitching effort from Braden Barker as the Mountain Lions ended the night early on the road at Niwot.
“I think mentally we approached the offensive side situationally, and we did it as a collective group, not just individuals,” MVHS assistant coach Chris Stine said. “I think our approach really helped us score those runs in the fifth inning. The unselfishness we approached it with was really good.”
Now 5-4 in the NC, 6-7 overall, the Lions had strong days at the plate all around, as Christian Patrick and Mike Felton had three hits each, and Barker homered to back his work on the mound, allowing three hits, no earned runs and striking out eight.
Trojans 6, Eagles 3
LONGMONT — Thompson Valley’s weekend task was to make up ground in the Northern Conference standings by taking on front-running Longmont, and the plan got off to a rocky start on the road Thursday.
The Trojans, with just one conference loss, jumped out to a 4-0 lead early, then plated two more in the sixth after the Eagles made it interesting with a three-run fifth. Cameron Nellor had a pair of hits and Adrian Juarez, Tristan Schatz and Jarrett Riehl each drove in a run as the Eagles slid to 3-4 in the NC, 4-7 overall.
“I’m not displeased with our effort; we just didn’t take advantage of some opportunities at the plate with runners in scoring position,” TVHS coach Jay Denning said. “I felt really good going into today, especially when we crawled back in it in the fifth, then they got away from us a little bit.”
Falcons 13, Spartans 12
LONGMONT — Berthoud’s offense jumped out to a quick lead, only to see Skyline smash back to erase the Spartan’s 5-0 lead with 12 runs in the second and third innings, leading to a Tri-Valley Conference victory.
The Spartans had nine hits in the game, but slipped to 2-6 in TVC play, 7-6 overall. Connor Balliet had three hits and drove in a trio, and Ben Hardy had two hits to drive in a pair.
“It became a slugfest in the wind, and we just fell one big hit short,” BHS coach Buddy Kouns said. “I was proud of the way our guys battled. We have had two tough one-loss games in a row. We will keep grinding and find a way to win these close ball games.”
Girls Soccer
Mountain Lions 6, Wildcats 0
Mountain View put in the work in the first half, producing a myriad of shot, but only finding the net once. That changed in the second half, exploding for five more goals in an impressive Northern Conference victory.
Jacey Paoli finished with a hat trick, while Nicole Rogers, Kaley Barker and Shelby Olson also produced goals. Olson had nine saves when she was in net, Barker two in the final 20 minutes.
“We had an absolute whole new energy and motivation today,” MVHS coach Hilary Lind said. “The team really came together as a whole. We have struggled with injuries and absences, and today absolutely proved when you commit to your team and bigger goal, awesome things happen.
Raptors 3, Eagles 0
Thompson Valley has had a busy week with a trio of games, and coach Randy Chase felt it caught up with his team in the Northern Conference loss to Silver Creek.
The wind didn’t help, but he feels they can get a little in their sails coming down the stretch with seven games remaining and the playoffs a real possibility for the squad.
“We still played as hard as we could. A compact schedule that is unavoidable can be a rough factor when you’re trying to win games,” Chase said. “The ladies will have a much-needed rest this weekend to return and take on Mountain View next week.”
Girls Tennis
Eagles 4, Raptors 3
LONGMONT — Both teams had to deal with the wind directing shots in places they weren’t intended for, but by the end of the Northern Conference dual, Thompson Valley picked up the win over Silver Creek on the strength of three wins at doubles without a full varsity lineup.
“It was ridiculously windy, but it provided both teams with a good mental test. We were without three of our players due to an injury (Kaitlin Morris) and music (Kylie Jacobson, Anna Cormos), so coming away with a win was a good step forward,” TVHS coach Jay Klagge said. “Our depth showed again — we even went three sets with two of the lines we lost. Our JV kids, Sarah (Szerzrba), Kalysa (Christopher) and Emmalee (Dekkers), really stepped up.”
Maddie Sheets won at the top singles spot, coming back after dropping the first set, while the Eagles’ other three victories came in straight sets, but the top doubles tandem of Danielle Sobraske and Jordan Mertens had some strenuous moments in a 7-6 (4), 7-5 win.
Indians 7, Kadets 0
As Loveland moves closer to the postseason, the sweep of Air Academy provided a boost of confidence for the roster, with all the victories coming in straight sets.
“The entire team had great matches today, showing improvements with court coverage and strategy,” LHS coach Heidi Abrahamson said. “We were able to dictate most points and close out matches. The play today is encouraging and a motivator as we are just a few weeks from regionals.”
The Indians’ No. 3 spots — Tara Jeffries at singles and Rebecca Emme and Allison Westbrook at doubles — won without dropping a game.
Indians 1, SaberCats 1
At Fossil Ridge
Loveland 001 000 0 — 1 4 2
Fossil Ridge 000 000 0 — 0 3 0
W — Keegan Villarreal. L — Marley.
Loveland hitting (ab-r-h-rbi) — Jaxon Cabrera 3-0-2-1, Eli Knodel 2-0-0-0, Zach Harstad 3-0-1-0, Jackson Bakovich 3-0-0-0, Tyler Hamil 2-0-0-0, AJ Cortese 3-0-0-0, Keegan Villareal 2-1-1-0, Drew Massey 2-0-0-0, Heron Lenz 3-0-0-0. Totals 23-1-4-1. 3B —Cabrera. SB —Hartstad, Villareal.
Loveland pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — Villareal 7-3-0-0-2-9.
Trojans 6, Eagles 3
At Longmont
Thompson Valle y000 030 0 — 3 7 4
Longmont 220 002 x — 6 8 2
W — Befus. L — Jayden Raabe.
Thompson Valley hitting (ab-r-h-rbi) — Cameron Nellor 4-1-2-0, Tristan Schatz 4-1-1-1, Adrian Juarez 3-1-1-1, Aiden Schultz 4-0-0-0, Austin Sobraske 3-0-0-0, Jayden Raabe 2-0-1-0, Jarrett Riehl 3-0-0-1, Trenten Riehl 3-0-2-0, Brock Nellor 3-0-0-0. Totals 29-3-7-3. 2B —Nellor, Juarez.
Thompson Valley pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — Raabe 5.1-8-6-4-2-2, Jake Hewson .2-0-0-0-0-0.
Mountain Lions 12, Cougars 2
At Niwot
Mountain View 010 1(10) — 12 12 2
Niwot 000 02 — 2 3 3
W — Braden Barker. L — Sheats.
Mountain View hitting (ab-r-h-rbi) — Christian Patrick 3-1-3-1, TJ Mendoza 3-0-0-0, Dakota Jiminez 3-2-2-2, Braden Barker 4-1-1-2, Shane Shadowen 4-1-1-1, Mike Felton 4-2-3-0, Brexton Butcher 2-2-0-0, Chad Baumann 2-0-1-0, Tanner Cartmel 2-1-1-1. Totals 27-12-12-7. 2B —Patrick, Mendoza. HR —Barker.
Mountain View pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — Barker 5-3-2-0-2-8.
Falcons 13, Spartans 12
At Skyline
Berthoud 410 131 2 — 12 9 2
Skyline 075 010 x — 13 13 3
W — NA. L — Quinn Oliver.
Berthoud hitting (ab-r-h-rbi) — Hunter Pearce 3-2-0-0, Colin DeVore 0-2-0-1, Connor Balliet 4-2-3-3, Chris Desousa 3-1-1-0, Tristen Workman 4-1-1-1, Brent Fowler 3-1-1-1, Ben Hardy 4-1-2-2, Jake Yuska 3-1-1-0, Wyatt Stratmeyer 3-0-0-0, Jordan Rodriguez 0-1-0-0. Totals 27-12-9-8. 2B —Balliet. SB —DeVore.
Berthoud pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — Oliver 2.1-8-11-9-4-3, Jordan Williamson 3.2-5-2-1-0-3.
Eagles 4, Raptors 3
At Silver Creek
Singles — 1. Maddie Sheets, Thompson Valley, d. Jenna Nielson, Silver Creek, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1; 2. Kim Fung, SC, d. Sarah Szezrba, 6-2, 6-1; 3. Lily Stewart, SC, d. Kalysa Christopher, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
Doubles — 1. Danielle Sobraske/Jordan Mertens, TV, d. Phoebe Norman/Caitlyn Pomerly, 7-6 (4), 7-5; 2. Olivia Nielson/Julia Shaw, SC, d Emily Black/Emmalee Dekkers, 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-0; 3. Kaelyn Giefer/Lacy Sauer, TV, d. Lindsey Skima/Amanda Lin 6-1, 6-4; 4. Autumn Porter/Sydney Laws, TV, d. Sarah Bedell/Maddie Karr, 6-2, 6-2.
Indians 7, Kadets 0
Singles — 1. Kira Badberg, Lovleand, d. Amaya AcGough, Air Academy, 6-2, 6-3; 2. Alix Huhta, L, d. Madison Goertz, -1, 6-1; 3. Tara Jeffries, L, d. NA, 6-0, 6-0.
Doubles — 1. Heather Price/Emily Eggerling, L, d. Campbell Fair/Dani Banks, 6-1, 6-1; 2. Aubrey Woodard/Megan Lindsey, L, d. Abby Cohe/Olivia Peluso, 6-2, 6-0; 3. Rebecca Emme/Allison Westbrook, L, d. Jade Loerzel/Reagan Gotlin, 6-0, 6-0; 4. Jenna Dove/Alisa Sautter, L, d. Quynh Tran/Molly Carroll, 6-1, 6-0.
