AURORA — For a program that’s just five years old, Lutheran softball’s already cemented a dynasty.
Lutheran pitcher Annie Schroeder delivers against Windsor during their 4A title game on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, at Aurora Sports Park in Aurora, Colorado. Lutheran won 1-0. (Photo by Andy Colwell/Special to The Denver Post)
The Lions beat Windsor in the Class 4A title game on Saturday at Aurora Sports Park, 1-0, as sophomore Annie Schroeder pitched a complete-game shutout.
It marked Lutheran’s fourth straight title, and third consecutive in 4A, in their fifth straight title game appearance since the program was founded in 2020.
“If someone could show me a better class of freshmen through seniors, who had a better run, I’d sit down and have a drink with them,” Lutheran head coach Glen Maestretti said. “Our six seniors alone are responsible for 107 wins. You’re not going to find that anywhere else. They’ve been so dominant for so long.”
Windsor sophomore Jenna McGinnis also pitched an outstanding game, but an RBI single by Lutheran senior third baseman Aleksia Severson in the first inning ended up being the difference. The North Dakota commit’s hit squeaked through the left side, and Lutheran never looked back behind the pitching of Schroeder.
Schroeder had been hurt for much of the season, coming off a torn UCL in her right elbow in April, but returned for state to pitch the Lions to victory in the title game. She also made two relief appearances and another start over the two-day tournament.
In the fourth and the fifth, the Wizards threatened with runners in scoring position but couldn’t come through with a clutch hit as Schroeder dug deep to get outs when it mattered most. In the seventh, she polished off the complete game by working around a two-out walk to get the final Windsor batter to line out.
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“I had pitch counts for most of the season, and as I worked my way back, I was able to pitch more in the games,” Schroeder said. “I was going and doing physical therapy every week to work my way back. … For a long time I thought I wasn’t going to be able to come back, because this is the second (arm) injury I’ve had, but God is good.”
Lutheran finished 26-1. Windsor, in its third title game showing and first since 2011, finished 27-3.
The Lions went nuts after the final out becoming the fourth Colorado softball program to win four state titles in a row. The others are Arvada West (1993-96 in 6A/5A), Erie twice (six-peat from 2000-05 in 3A and 2007-10 in 3A/4A) and Legacy (five-peat from 2007-11 in 5A).
“I’ll bask in this tonight,” Maestretti said. “All I can say is the poise of this team, the way they handled pressure from the very first game, which was a 3-2 win over (4A semifinalist) Pueblo County, they thrive in this atmosphere and this team was built mentally (to win the four-peat).”
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