D’Evelyn and Golden softball teams on a collision course

DENVER — The battle for the Class 4A Jeffco League softball title is quickly turning into a two-team race.

While defending conference champion Golden is trying to repeat, D’Evelyn is right on the Demons’ heels after a solid 11-3 victory against Green Mountain on Monday to stay undefeated in conference play. 

“Golden and us, again,” D’Evelyn coach Dan Porreco said of the match-up between the two teams that have combined to win the past three 4A Jeffco League titles. “We are excited and really. It will be good.”

The Jaguars (11-3, 4-0 in 4A Jeffco) have head-to-head league games coming up against the Demons (10-4, 4-0) on Thursday, Sept. 25, at D’Evelyn and Oct. 10 at Golden. Those two upcoming conference game between the Jaguars and Demons will likely determine the league champion.

“It will be nice playing them twice,” D’Evelyn senior Nava Basquez said of facing the Demons a pair of times over the next few weeks. “They are a good team. I think we’ll be ready and pumped for those games.”

D’Evelyn got pumped up winning a key league game against Green Mountain (7-7, 3-2). The Rams came in on a 3-game winning streak.

“Offensively we did well. We hit the ball well,” Basquez said after D’Evelyn scored double-digit runs in its fourth straight league game. 

Sophomore Hallie Book got things started ripping a 2-run double to centerfield to give the Jaguars a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Green Mountain responded with a 2-run triple by junior Delilah Camacho in the top of the third inning to even things up.

“When it was 2-2 it was really an intense ballgame,” Porreco said. “I really like how Green Mountain came out today. We did get some breaks that went our way that really deflated them.”

D’Evelyn had a 4-run bottom of the third inning and 3-run bottom of the fourth inning to grab a 9-2 lead. The Rams had six errors in the game. Along with six walks issued was too much for Green Mountain to overcome.

Baquez had a pair of RBIs as the Jaguars started to pull away. Junior Myla Seda had an RBI double and sophomore Claudia Harris ripped an RBI single for D’Evelyn as the Jaguars extended their lead.

Green Mountain did get a triple from senior Linnea Iversen in the sixth inning. Iversen would score on a single by senior Janna Neuenschwander, but D’Evelyn added another insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning with an RBI single by sophomore Aubrey Giddens.

“We kept hitting the ball and putting the pressure on,” Porreco said.

Basquez picked up her sixth victory in the circle on the season.

“I have to give it all to my defense,” said Basquez, who had eight strikeouts in the complete-game victory. “They have been working so hard and are such great teammates. They back me up.”

Basquez only played a handful of games last season due to injury. Basquez and Book has shared most of the pitching duties this year with the graduation of Tess Miller, who pitched over 480 innings for the Jaguars in her four years at D’Evelyn.

“She (Basquez) did a really great job today. She has been a workhorse for us,” Porreco said. “We are happy to have her back. We missed her bad last year.”