BOULDER — When you’re the defending state champion, you go into every game not only thinking but knowing you’re going to win.
Such is the case for the Legacy softball team.
The Lightning got handed a small dose of reality Saturday, falling 1-0 to Oklahoma powerhouse Broken Arrow in the Erie Festival of Champions at the Stazio Complex.
“It is hard to lose a game when you expect to win all of them,” said Legacy junior pitcher Shelby Babcock, who notched her 500th career strikeout to start the game. “But it shows us that we are human, and eventually it will make us stronger.”
Broken Arrow (15-1), which lost to defending Class 4A champion Ralston Valley on Friday, made it 2-for-2 against the Lightning in trips to Colorado. The Tigers won last year’s game 2-1 in 20 innings.
“That’s a good ballclub,” Broken Arrow coach Randall King said. “What it takes in a game like this, with two quality pitchers, is timely hitting.”
Broken Arrow made the most of its four hits off Babcock. After Stephanie Brewer reached on an infield single to start the top of the third inning and moved to second on Chelsea Lyon’s walk, Casey Moyer’s single to shallow left field was deep enough to bring home the only run of the game.
Legacy (6-1) responded by loading the bases on three straight hits by Shae Rodriguez, Mo Marcovecchio and Jessica Ball, only to have Rodriguez get picked off at third by Tigers catcher Kelsi Hilderbrandt. Buggs Torrez and Babcock each struck out against Lyon to end the threat.
“I was so nervous,” said Lyon, who is 65-5 in her prep career and will pitch next season at the University of Iowa. “I knew I had a great defense behind me, and all I had to do was make the pitches and focus on putting them in the places Kelsi wanted them.”
Lightning coach Dawn Gaffin knows her team let one slip away.
“We just got to have somebody step up at the right times,” she said. “Every team goes through that, and we just need to realize that everyone has to step up every time.”
Both pitchers were marvelous. Babcock, who got out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, struck out 13 and walked five. Lyon struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter.
Broken Arrow (Okla.) 001 000 0 — 1 4 1
Legacy 000 000 0 — 0 6 0
Broken Arrow — Sullivan ss 4-0-0-0, Frazier cf 4-0-0-0, Brewer 3b 3-1-1-0, Lyon p 2-0-1-0, Ellman cr 0-0-0-0, Moyer lf 2-0-1-1, Hilderbrandt c 1-0-0-0, Johnson cr 0-0-0-0, Monigold 1b 1-0-0-0, Snyder rf 3-0-0-0, Scott 2b 3-0-1-0. Totals 23-1-4-1.
Legacy — Marcovecchio 2b 3-0-3-0, Ball ss 3-0-1-0, Torrez c 3-0-0-0, Babcock p 3-0-0-0, Matilla 3b 3-0-1-0, Chavez dp 3-0-0-0, Price lf/flex 0-0-0-0, Vermillion rf 2-0-0-0, Madden ph 1-0-0-0, Wittkop 1b 2-0-0-0, Ellis ph 1-0-0-0, Rodriguez cf 2-0-1-0. Totals 26-0-6-0.
E — Scott. SB — Moyer. Caught stealing — Ellman; Rodriguez.
Batteries — Lyon and Hilderbrandt; Babcock and Torrez. W — Lyon (10-1). L — Babcock (6-1). WP — Lyon 2; Babcock 1. Time — 1:40.
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
