HUTTO — The Hutto Lady Hippos varsity softball team extended its sevengame district winning streak with a 4-3 victory over the Vista Ridge Rangers on Tuesday, March 17.
Hutto entered the matchup trailing the Rangers, who were undefeated in district play, but now holds the tiebreaker for first place in the standings.
It was a low-scoring affair, especially for two high-powered offenses. The Lady Hippos had outscored their previous six opponents by double digits. Vista Ridge struck first with an RBI double in the top of the third inning to take a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore Bailey Kelley got the start in the circle, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out four to earn the win.
Kelley kept the deficit at one until Hutto’s offense broke through in the fifth inning. Junior shortstop Makenna Castillo delivered a two-RBI single to give the Lady Hippos a 2-1 lead, and a dropped third strike allowed another run to score, extending the lead to 3-1.
Castillo finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a walk.
Vista Ridge responded in the sixth inning, tying the game at 3-3 with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom half of the inning, junior Keyouna Harris led off with a triple and later scored on a groundout to give Hutto a 4-3 lead.
Junior Molly Krieg came on in relief in the seventh inning. After allowing a leadoff single, she retired the next three batters with a groundout, flyout and strikeout to secure the win.
Senior M’Kayla Hicks and junior Ayanna Marquez also recorded RBIs for Hutto.
With the win, the Lady Hippos improved to 18-9-2 overall and 7-1 in district play, moving into first place with the head-to-head tiebreaker over Vista Ridge.
Hutto will return to action March 24, hosting Stony Point at 7 p.m. as it looks to avenge its only district loss of the season.
