Updated (Oct. 22, 11:19 a.m.): Due to a reporting error, this story has been updated to reflect that Meredith Barnhart hit a three-run home run for Lutheran, not Addi Cramer as was originally reported. The Post regrets this error.
AURORA — Facing a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth inning and leading by just two runs against No. 2 Riverdale Ridge in the Class 4A softball final, Lutheran junior catcher Malea Yoxsimer believed in her pitcher.
After all, she and Hailey Maestretti have been the state’s most lethal pitcher-catcher battery since under-10s club ball.
“I was nervous to say the least, but it didn’t matter,” Yoxsimer said. “I’d seen how she was going. (Riverdale Ridge) were on her at first and then she got on a roll. Her pitches were dropping, her fastball was unhittable at that point. I just knew that bases loaded? Didn’t matter.”
In classic Maestretti fashion, she got out of the jam just fine. The Lions added three more runs late and won a third consecutive state championship with a 6-1 win Saturday at Aurora Sports Park.
The University of Utah-bound pitcher, who came back from a broken arm suffered in the preseason, struck out 11. She did so facing a loud crowd eager to see the Ravens go for a first title in program history.
“It was an amazing game to be a part of,” Maestretti said. “It was a big stage, but honestly it helps the adrenaline kick in. I think the (loud crowd) helped. We were fighting all the way, and there was never a doubt we couldn’t get it done.”
It appeared Riverdale Ridge (26-3) had the defense to back up quality at-bats, as Jaeanna Sandoval robbed Aleksia Severson of a home run in the fourth inning, running through the fence to make a sensational catch.
But in the fifth, the resolve of the Lions finally pulled through with a two-run single from freshman Kiley Glenn, while Addi Cramer hit a solo shot in the sixth that barely got out. Zoie Linville nearly fooled fans that she recorded a second home-run robbery, but the umpire saw the ball drop first.
That set up Maestretti getting in the jam as the Ravens got a pair of singles and a walk, but the senior didn’t panic. She struck out Olivia Fordham to get out of it, and it was the momentum Lutheran needed.
Fourth-seeded LuHi (23-5) responded by driving home the clinching runs: A three-run bomb from University of Tennessee-bound Meredith Barnhart to make it 6-1.
Despite the loss, Ravens head coach Ray Garza knows the program is in a good spot when they move up to Class 5A next season.
“Sometimes the moment can get the best of some of us, and unfortunately it happened to us today,” Garza said. “Lutheran’s been here before, and we competed so hard today. When they walk out of here, I know, they’ll be like, ‘Man, I feel like I’ve been in that spot before,’ and it’s too late. But they gave it everything.”
For Yoxsimer, the experience meant a lot knowing they had to go through a gauntlet side of the 4A bracket, including a semifinal win over Holy Family. But when they met at center circle before every inning, she relayed the same message.
“I just told them ‘it’s just us’, block it all out,” Yoxsimer said.
For three straight seasons, the Lions have done that to prove they’re not just the best program in 4A, but the best in Colorado.
Ross carries Eaton to top of 3A
Eaton senior Sadie Ross did it all Saturday in an 11-0 win over six-seeded Thomas Jefferson to claim a second straight Class 3A crown. The Reds pitcher threw a no-hitter and smacked a game-defining grand slam in the win. Top-seeded Eaton (28-1) outscored its opponents 52-4 in the state tournament.
“We always strive for it, but this one’s extra special. Just a really good group of girls and it was awesome to play with them,” Ross said.
For Thomas Jefferson, the DPS powerhouse did one step better after a semifinal appearance last year. Coach Katie Tyler thinks the Spartans (23-5) can remain state contenders.
“We put our names in the books and everyone knows who we are now and we’re super proud,” Tyler said. “We’ve got a young crowd coming in to be joining our team next year, and we’re super pumped already.”
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