Softball: Erie wins regional title thanks to pitching and 2 more Osborne blasts

Oct. 13—ERIE — The state's most accomplished softball program is off to another strong October start.

Adopting the same formula it used throughout an impressive regular season — stellar pitching and about a million home runs from Addie Osborne — host Erie won twice Friday, sweeping Class 5A Region 6 to advance to the 16-team state tournament for an eighth straight time (not including the altered pandemic season).

And this is just the start, the Tigers believe.

"I think we just keep getting more confident," said Erie coach Tobin EchoHawk, whose squad will look to add to its state-most 12 softball championship trophies with its first in 5A next weekend at Aurora Sports Park. "We talk about that all the time, making sure regardless of what happens — you strike out, you make an error — you don't put your head down. You just say, 'Give me another shot.'"

The Tigers were ready for the moment as postseason play kicked off Friday.

Reigning Longmont Times-Call player of the year Gracie Sackett pitched a complete-game shutout in Game 1 for the 6-seeded Tigers, beating No. 27 Lakewood, 5-0. Matix Hull, the classification's leader in earned run average, followed it up with a gem against Front Range League champ — No. 11 Fossil Ridge — allowing just her third earned run of the season in a 7-2 victory.

The unassuming, 5-foot-4 national home run leader helped both of their causes with a blast and four RBIs in each win.

Longball No. 16 and 17 of the year gave Osborne 36 for her career, the lead among the seven states that play in the fall, as well as the all-time program records for homers in a season and career.

Osborne came into the day tied with Gracie's sister — BoCoPreps.com player of the year Kat Sackett — who had 15 during the Tigers' 2019 4A championship run and 34 in her career.

"Amazing"

"Really nice."

"Incredible."

Sackett and Hull went back and forth in superlatives when asked what it's like to have Osborne's bat behind them.

"She's so good," Hull grinned as she placed her hand atop the head of a much shorter Osborne.

Though, the home run queen knows it's not moonshots that win in the postseason. Pitching, especially in 5A, is often where title runs start and end.

She likes Erie's chances.

"They could go out on the mound and have their worst day and I'd still have full faith in them," the Rutgers commit said. "They just work together. I think this is the best I've seen Matix pitch in a long time. She killed it today. And so did Gracie. They're incredible."

The hope for the Tigers (20-5) next week is that Sackett and Hull's pitching styles continue to fluster offenses on the sport's biggest high school stage.

Teams have hit just .220 against them this fall. It's either Sackett and her blow-past-you stuff, or Hull with her tap-dance of pitches and different speeds that can send a batter's knees to a wobble. And sometimes it's both of them in one game, making the adjustment for a hitter all the more difficult.

Sackett, the University of Northern Colorado commit, scattered seven hits, struck out six and induced three double plays in her second seven-inning shutout of the season in the morning.

A couple hours later, Hull's ERA actually rose a bit, up to a microscopic 0.35, after a stifling performance against the Sabercats (19-6), who beat the Tigers 7-5 a month ago and touted an offense averaging 9.1 runs coming into the game.

Hull allowed six hits, struck out six. Her biggest jam came in the fifth after an error cut the lead to 5-2. With one out and two on, however, she induced a pair of groundouts to avoid any more damage.

"We have been looking forward to playing Fossil since earlier in the season when it didn't go our way," Hull said. "We just came out with energy. My defense was behind me, picking me up."

The Sabercats later nabbed the second qualifying spot from the region, beating No. 22 Ponderosa in eight innings in the consolation final.

The 10 other regional teams from the Boulder, Broomfield and Longmont areas — 5A No. 8 Broomfield, No. 23 Legacy, 4A No. 1 Holy Family, No. 12 Frederick, No. 18 Niwot, No. 25 Mead, No. 32 Boulder, 3A No. 5 Lyons, No. 25 Peak to Peak and No. 32 Jefferson Academy — will look to qualify from their regions Saturday.