BROOMFIELD — Leading up to Erie softball’s 8-2 victory at Legacy on Monday, the Tigers had been nothing short of dominant.
The team, in full, now boasts 215 hits, 175 runs, 141 RBIs and are ranked No. 5 in Class 5A. The ladies moved to 17-4 on the season after they zapped the Lightning.
While there’s plenty of talent to go around — and many, many names that can be mentioned — senior ace Sophee Horovitz has been the engine behind it all.
To date, she’s seen action in the circle in all but four games and has accrued a 2.43 ERA and 138 strikeouts, all while giving up just 35 earned runs. She tossed four innings against the Lightning, picking up another five strikeouts and never allowing any of the Bolts to reach home plate.
“This year has definitely been one of the most exciting. I think we’ve had a really good season so far. It’s my senior year, so obviously I want to leave on a high note,” Horovitz said. “Every time I pitch, I just try to attack every batter, not really focus on the ones that came before. No matter what happened before, you can always win the next moment. I’m really honing in on where I want the ball to be and not really thinking about my motion.”
Outside of her practice with the Tigers, Horovitz has taken it upon herself to attend extra pitching lessons, where she practices a wide range of drills that prepare her for any situation a game might throw at her.
Erie’s Sophee Horovitz pitches at Legacy High School on Oct. 5, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
Erie’s Chloe Osborne scores on a wild pitch as Legacy’s Delaney Bruny tries to control the ball during their game at Legacy High School on Oct. 5, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
Erie’s Braelen Heer runs to third as Legacy’s Phoebe Crosbie catches a pass from right field during their game at Legacy High School on Oct. 5, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
Legacy’s Breece Haggadone pitches against Erie at Legacy High School on Oct. 5, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
Erie’s Jaelyn Bandel bats at Legacy High School on Oct. 5, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
Legacy’s Delaney Bruny bunts against Erie at Legacy High School on Oct. 5, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
Show Caption
1 of 6
Erie’s Sophee Horovitz pitches at Legacy High School on Oct. 5, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
She wasn’t the only one to impress on Monday. Junior slugger Braelen Heer — who’s averaging .650 in the batter’s box — earned three hits in three official at-bats, driving in two runs.
The Lightning opted to intentionally walk her in the top of the seventh, knowing full well what kind of damage she was capable of otherwise. That kind of dominance at the plate is something that head coach Ryan Sanchez has preached in his two years with the program.
“Erie softball has always been very legit when it comes to the X’s and O’s of the game,” he said. “Coming in, I thought I could help them from a hitting perspective. We just we hit and hit and hit and hit and hit, and it’s funny because we’re in a slump right now. … We’re just trying to get our kids in winning situations every day at practice so nothing’s a surprise.”
He has a funny definition of a “slump” when eight runs are thrown around.
Over the course of the next week, the Tigers will wrap up regular season play with games against Horizon and Fossil Ridge, then will most likely learn that they will host a regional next weekend. Sanchez said that in the down time leading up to and following regionals, they’ll try to sneak in a couple of scrimmages to keep the ladies amped up and ready to go.
He believes they’ll still have room to improve and impress until then. His ladies are aiming high this postseason.
“It’d be awesome to win state, and I think we have the talent to get there,” Horovitz said. “It’s just putting it together in the right moments.”