Koopman in control as Boulder City tops Henderson International
Boulder City softball coach Bruce Reid knows his team’s toughest tests this season won’t come against Class 3A Southern League opponents.
So he was anxious to see if the Eagles would pass their second consecutive test against a quality nonleague foe Tuesday.
Karlee Koopman made sure of it, tossing a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts to power Boulder City to a 1-0 win at Henderson International.
“This week and last week, we’re approaching where we want to be mentally,” Reid said. “That’s what we need to see.”
Boulder City scored the lone run when Angel Ragone came home on a throwing error by Henderson International’s third baseman in the third inning.
The Eagles (23-2) have allowed only one earned run in four league games, sweeping those contests by a combined score of 47-3.
Boulder City followed those games with a 6-1 home victory Friday over Liberty (20-6), which would be in the 4A Sunrise Region playoffs if the postseason began today.
On Tuesday, the Eagles beat Henderson International (21-3), which sits in first place in the 1A Southern League.
Reid called the nonleague slate crucial for building mental toughness for a team that expects to compete for its first 3A state title since 1999.
“Like we told them here, if you make an error against a quality team, they’re going to capitalize on it,” Reid said. “Today we went error-free, and we went error-free against Liberty. As a coach, I’m tickled pink whenever we do that.”
Koopman, a sophomore, walked one and hit one batter. She pointed to last year’s second-place finish at the 3A state tournament as motivation.
“We definitely keep that in mind,” she said. “We work a lot harder in practices every day to make sure we can keep it going.
“Our goal is to win state, definitely. I think we have a really good shot at it.”
Henderson International sophomore Lee Harrison pitched a three-hitter. She struck out two, walked two and hit one batter.
Koopman and Harrison will likely duel again when the two schools meet May 5 at Boulder City.
“I’m sure the two pitchers will be going at it again,” Wolverines coach Mimie Hall said. “We’re going to make some adjustments with our hitting and make them field the ball more, and hopefully we’ll come out on top next time.”
