10 The Tribune
October 24, 2012
Tri-LakesSPORTS
OUT OF BOUNDS
BY THE NUMBERS The Palmer Ridge boys soccer team’s seed in the upcoming Class 4A state playoffs. The Bears (13-1-1) host No. 32 Wheat Ridge (5-73) on Thursday in a firstround game.
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The seed earned by The Classical Academy boys s o c c e r team’s seed in the 3A state playoffs. The Titans (14-1) host No. 32 Lake County (7-7) in a firstround game on Friday.
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The number of sets the LewisPalmer volleyball team has lost since 6-foot-6 senior middle blocker Claire Felix became eligible on Sept. 27. The Rangers have won 21 of 22 sets in that span – seven consecutive matches.
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Difference in the number of goals scored by the Palmer Ridge field hockey team this season versus the number of goals allowed. The Bears rank second in goals scored with 52; and third with only 12 goals allowed.
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THEY SAID IT ““If you would have asked me at the beginning of the season, I didn’t think it would be possible for our girls to go to state. But they really came together and they’re running very well right now.” Discovery Canyon cross country coach Chris Miner
Thunder gets first victory Discovery Canyon knocks off Silver Creek in round one By Danny Summers
sports@ourcoloradonews.com The bar is now set even higher for the Discovery Canyon softball team. That’s because the Thunder won its first-ever state softball playoff game. The monumental victory came on Oct. 19 in the first-round of the Class 4A championship tournament at the Aurora Sports Complex. The 8th-seeded Thunder defeated No. 9 Silver Creek, 6-4, as it scored three runs in the first and two in the second to take control of the game. Discovery Canyon’s post-season run ended with a quarterfinals loss to No. 1 seed Pueblo East, 4-0. “We have nothing to hang our heads about,” said Discovery Canyon coach Tanya Ramsay. “We were run-ruled by Pueblo East early in the year. This is a great improvement for us.” Discovery Canyon (19-5) has advanced to the state tournament three of the last four seasons since becoming a varsity program. Not bad for a school that started its program just six years ago. “Our end of the year home is the Aurora Sports Complex,” Ramsay said with a smile. “I think this will become a tradition.” The Thunder came out roaring against Silver Creek, rapping five hits against right-hander McKenna Kostelecky. Discovery Canyon sophomore McKenzie Surface and sophomore Destiny lackey had RBI singles during the barrage. The Thunder added two more runs in the second inning RBI singles by Surface and senior Taryn Arcarese to build a 5-1 lead. Silver Creek made the game interesting in the top of the third when Kostelecky belted a two-run homer. Thunder senior right-hander Kacee Schroeder was lifted after walking the leadoff batter in the top of the fourth and replaced by Surface. Surface retired 12 of the next 13 Silver Creek hitters before allowing a pair of two-out hits in the seventh. Discovery Canyon scored its final run on an RBI single by Kaydee Valliere in the bottom of the sixth. “Silver Creek is a scrappy team; a comeback team,” Ramsay said. The Thunder had its hands full with Pueblo East junior right-hander Katie Orona, who entered the game with a 0.54 ERA. She allowed just three hits and walked none while striking out 10. Senior McKenzie Peters had a double for the Thunder, while seniors Shelby Hetzel and Shyloh Grover had back-to-back
Discovery Canyon’s McKenzie Peters makes an out Oct. 19 during the team’s victory against Silver Creek. Photo by Courtney Kuhlen | ckuhlen@ourcoloradonews.com
singles to begin the sixth, but were stranded when Orona set down the next three Thunder hitters. “(Orona) is one of the top pitchers in the state,” Ramsay said. Surface started and went the distance against Pueblo East. She struck out five and walked three while allowing nine hits. “McKenzie Surface hasn’t even come close to reaching her full potential,” Ramsay said. “She’s young. I’m excited to watch her the next two years. We’re glad to have her.” The Thunder won the Pikes Peak Athletic Conference this season after posting a 7-0 league record. But Ramsay loses six senior starters (seven in all) to graduation. “Every year you lose great players, but you try to develop good ones to come up behind them,” Ramsay said. “Our younger players had phenomenal role models.”
Bears season comes to end at state Palmer Ridge falls in first round to No. 2 Niwot By Danny Summers
sports@ourcoloradonews.com Palmer Ridge concluded its best season on the softball diamond with its first ever trip to the state playoffs. The Bears went 16-7 this season, including a second-place finish in the Class 4A Pikes Peak Athletic Conference. Their season ended on Oct. 19 with a firstround loss to No. 2 seed Niwot, 7-0, at the Aurora Sports Complex. “Us getting to state makes a statement,” said Palmer Ridge coach randy Gillette. “We have a quality program. The girls picked up a lot this year about what it takes to be a champion. They worked hard. We know what it takes to get to state and I think we’ll be heading back there again. “State is not the big mystery that you think it is. There are 16 good teams, and we’re one of them.” The Bears were the No. 15 seed and faced with the difficult task of facing Niwot senior right-hander Nicki Blue. Blue dominated bears hitters with a consistent 62 to 65 mph fastball that seemed to change direction at her calling. Blue struck out 14 and did not walk a batter while facing just one over the minimum. “She was brining it pretty good,” Gillette said of Blue. “We were trying to
just don’t ever see that down here.” Blue, who has committed to the University of South Carolina, averaged more than two strikeouts per inning this season, while allowing less than a walk a game. Her ERA entering the game against Palmer Ridge was a minuscule 0.29. The Bears’ only hit came off the bat of junior Libby Acker - a fifth-inning double with two strikes that split the gap in rightcenter field and rolled to the fence. Blue responded by retiring the final nine Bears batters. “Everybody else was kind of struggling at the plate,” Gillette said. “We were all trying to make adjustments to her speed.” Bears senior right-hander Katie Smith had the daunting task of trying to keep pace with Blue. Smith went the distance, allowing 10 hits, while striking out one and walking three. She allowed just two earned runs, however, as the Bears committed three errors behind her. “Smith did a phenomenal job for us,” Gillette said. “From an off-speed perspective she was tough for (Niwot) to deal with.” The future looks bright for the Bears. Smith is the only senior on the squad. A four-year starter, Smith was 7-3 this season and batted a solid .338 while splitting her time between pitcher and shortstop. “We’re going to miss her next year,” Gillette said. There are only three juniors among the Bears usual starting nine or 10 players - outfielder Acker (.413), first baseman
Palmer Ridge’s pitcher Katie Smith delivers a pitch during the Bears’ first-round game against Niwot at the Class 4A softball tournament. Photo by Photo by Jonathan Maness
er/outfielder/third baseman Taylor Klee (.441); five sophomores - second baseman/outfielder Jennifer Slaughter (.442), catcher/third baseman/outfielder Jennifer Tarwater (.408), shortstop/pitcher Madysen Kearns (9-4, .400), left-handed second baseman and leadoff hitter Ciara Richardson (.442), and outfielder Emma McGuire (.100); and one freshman - outfielder Julia Schroeder (.294).