The Meeker High School softball team opened its home schedule Sept. 10 with a sweep of Aspen, winning 25-22 and 23-20 to improve to 5-10 on the season.
The Cowboys had already defeated Aspen 24-3 at the Rifle Tournament Aug. 15, but the rematch proved much closer.
Meeker trailed 22-7 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning of the opener before erupting for 18 runs to take a 25-22 lead and hold on for the victory.
“I said, ‘Guys, do you really want to lose to Aspen in front of all these people that came out to watch you play tonight?’” head coach Josh Martin said. “I said, ‘Well, then you guys need to do something about it. I can’t win it for you.’ And they went out and figured out how to make it work.”
Meeker finished the game with 29 hits and 30 stolen bases. Senior Kayla Castillo went 6-for-6 with five runs and six RBIs, while Aurora Stallings went 4-for-4 with four runs and six RBIs. Kailynn Watson added five hits and six RBIs.
Martin said the comeback reflected the “play rowdy” mentality he has emphasized throughout the season.
“When we’re talking about playing rowdy, there’s going to be times where we’re down in runs,” Martin said. “Just keeping the energy up really changes the game.”
The Cowboys carried that energy into the nightcap, completing the sweep with a 23-20 victory. Stallings provided another offensive spark with a grand slam.
Sophomore Haigen Harrison went 4-for-5 with four runs and four RBIs, while Stallings finished with three hits and five RBIs. MacKenzie Denney added three hits, three runs and three RBIs.
“After a comeback like that, the energy really carries because we saw what we can do out there,” Harrison said. “We saw what we had the potential to do.”
Martin said the team also showed more confidence after mistakes in the second game.
“If they made an error, they kept their heads up,” Martin said. “They walked up to the plate with a different kind of confidence. They walked onto the field with a different kind of confidence.”
Martin also credited senior pitcher Kailynn Watson, who has recorded 53 strikeouts this season, and said the Cowboys’ defense will be important moving forward.
“If we can just continue to make the routine plays and back her up, I have no doubt we’ll be successful,” Martin said.
The sweep came after a difficult stretch in which Meeker went 1-5 over its previous six games.
“I just hope we grow as a team and learn from our mistakes and stay positive no matter what the score is because 20 years from now you won’t remember the score, just the memories,” Harrison said.
The Cowboys travel to Cedaredge for a doubleheader Sept. 19, with games scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
