Silver Creek had a good softball squad in 2020. The Raptors might have found a way into the Class 4A Final Four Saturday in Aurora, but the team standing in their way had their number all season.
No. 3 seed Holy Family captured a quarterfinal win over No. 6 Silver Creek 3-1 in Broomfield on Thursday evening and a smoky sun set on the Raptors' season and the Maddie Kuehl era.
Over her four years in the pitcher's circle and elsewhere, the Silver Creek senior honed her craft and struck out 16 batters on four occasions. She hit over .500 this season and came into Tuesday’s game off a 3-0 complete game shutout of Pueblo Central in round one of the playoffs on Tuesday.
But Holy Family was waiting for Silver Creek. Just five days earlier the teams had clashed at the Tigers’ home field in a 10-inning regular season finale. The Tigers' 4-3 triumph gave them a division crown and a higher seed than Silver Creek. Holy Family also topped the Raptors 13-10 on opening day.
"Thinking about it now just makes me even more hungry to beat them this time," Kuehl said before Thursday’s game. "I think we can play the best we've played all season and I don't think there's a better time for us to be playing Holy Family. We use games as motivation."
Kuehl struck out nine Tigers on Thursday but pitcher Cassidy Chvatal was all-in for Holy Family. Behind good defense, Chvatal shut out Silver Creek for six innings before surrendering a run in the final frame.
Kuehl is chasing the sunset to California. Her monster fastball and the rest of her arsenal are now slated to become a problem for opponents of Loyola Marymount University in spring 2022.
I’m so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my education and my softball career at Loyola Marymount University! Huge thanks to my parents as well my coaches and teammates for your support and love. Can’t wait! #JoinThePride @lmulionsSB @ExtraInningSB @FloSoftball pic.twitter.com/ICGust2fH2
— Maddie Kuehl (@MaddieKuehl27) January 18, 2020
Mead advances to semifinals
Another St. Vrain Valley School District softball squad is still in contention in the Class 4A tournament.
No. 4 Mead will face No. 1 Wheat Ridge in the semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday at Aurora Sports Park. The game will be streamed here.
The Mavericks earned their way to the semis with an 11-0 win over No. 13 Palisade on Wednesday, followed by a 7-1 victory over No. 5 Riverdale Ridge on Thursday. The Farmers advanced after beating No. 16 Elizabeth 10-0 on Wednesday and No. 8 Conifer 6-0 on Thursday.
The winner of Mead-Wheat Ridge will advance to the finals to face the winner of the 10:30 a.m. Saturday game between No. 2 D'Evelyn and Holy Family, which will be streamed here.
The championship game will be played at 1 p.m. Saturday and will be streamed here.
