Chatfield softball handling early season’s heavy workload

LITTLETON — Six was the magic number Tuesday at Chatfield Senior High School’s softball field.

The Chargers — No. 6 in the Class 5A CHSAANow.com rankings — hosted D’Evelyn. The Jaguars hold the No. 6 ranking in Class 4A. In the end, Chatfield’s six runs allowed the Chargers to capture a 6-2 victory.

“It most definitely is going to help us. That is why we play these teams,” D’Evelyn coach Dan Porreco said of playing a ranked 5A team. “I really like their team. They are a strong team and I love the way they hit. It will toughen us up.”

The Jaguars (3-2 record) got off to a good start with their first three hitters reaching base in the top of the first inning. Junior Ingrid Dalla drove in fellow junior Peyton Marvel to get the scoring going.

Marvel knocked in the other Jaguar run of the game with a solo home run in the top of the third inning to cut Chatfield’s lead to 3-2, but Charger ace Brooklyn Levin settled in the final four innings giving up three walks and one hit after Marvel’s home run.

“She (Levin) has been working through so much. I’m so proud of her,” Chatfield coach Jen Lazzeri said. “If she can get in her zone and get rolling that will help us a ton. If she is on we are going to be tough to beat.”

Levin suffered through some injuries last season, but still had a 10-3 record and 2.94 ERA during her junior champaign.

“The first inning is always rough for me. I get a little nervous,” Levin said. “After that I really get dialed in and focused.”

Chatfield (7-2) got its offense dialed in scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the lead. Junior Klara Van Beuge had a huge day at the plate going 4-for-4 and a pair of RBIs. She was just a triple short of hitting for the cycle.

“I was just trying to hit it hard,” Van Beuge said about her thoughts coming to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning needing a triple for the cycle.

The Chargers plated another insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 6-2 lead. Sophomore Lexie Balfanz and senior Avery Rohlman combined to go 6-for-8 with 2 RBIs from the plate for Chatfield.

“Honestly, I just feel we are really confident,” Van Beuge said of the Chargers’ hot bats this season. “We have been doing pretty good since the Legend game.”

Chatfield suffered a 13-2 loss to Legend in its season opener, but then reeled off six straight victories in the span of seven days.

“It was crazy,” Lazzeri said of the load of games in August. “It was a little too fast for me, but after the first two weeks I would have a pretty good idea about how good we are.”

The Chargers have played nine games in 13 days. Chatfield hosts Cherry Creek on Friday before having a bit of a loll before a few more non-league games and the start of 5A Jeffco League play.

D’Evelyn faces a few more 5A teams before playing in the Dave Sanders Tournament (Sept. 9 and 10) at Aurora Sports Park, the site of the state tournament.