Nikki Hendriks and Jordan Schmidt put on dominating pitching displays as the Lady Rangers got back to “the Vista Ridge style” with tight defense in a successful trip to the Corpus Christi Softball Tournament March 4-6.
Vista Ridge won all three of its pool play games and took three out of four wins in bracket play at the tourney.
Schmidt had 14 strikeouts in a 6-0, two-hit win over San Antonio Burbank, and Hendriks followed with a one-hitter in a 5-0 win over Alice on Friday. The Lady Rangers lost 4-2 in the last inning against Calhoun Saturday, but rallied to beat Tuloso Midway 3-0 in the finale, all the while making just one error over the weekend.
“We ended on a good note because (the Calhoun game) was a tough loss, but the girls were able to bounce back real quickly,” coach Robin Brady said. “They seem to be putting some things together and are definitely more alert. They started to play better as a team and execute. That’s more of the Vista Ridge style defense.”
In the opener on Friday, Vista Ridge jumped on the board in the first inning and didn’t look back – Cora Ramirez was hit by a pitch and Rachel Burton knocked a double to score her for a 1-0 lead. Burton added a sac-fly RBI in the third and Brittney Siudym had an RBI single as well. Siudym picked up another RBI in the fifth on a sac-fly. Schmidt went 2-for-3 with a triple and she got an early RBI to give herself some run support, and the right-hander cruised to the shutout win. Meredith Crawford was 3-for-3.
The stellar pitching and defense continued into the next game against Alice. Senior shortstop Thom cranked a solo homerun on the first pitch of the game, and she added a second homer later in the game and scored on a four-base error to round the bases three times in the game as Vista Ridge took another errorless shutout win.
Ramirez added a homer as well in the game and Kelsey Harlow was 2-for-2 with a run scored.
The great defense was a sight Brady hopes will continue, as the Lady Rangers’ lone error at the tourney came on a fluke on a bunt as catcher Chandler McCrury tripped over a bat.
“That’s gonna be a common theme the rest of the season for us,” Brady said of the great pitching and defense. “Nikki and Jordan pitched really well for us the whole weekend.”
The Lady Rangers’ lone loss of the weekend came as they were leading 2-1 heading to the final inning. Thom provided a two-out triple in the third and Crawford knocked her in with a single. Ramirez followed with a double to score Thom and give Vista Ridge a 2-0 lead. Schmidt was in control all the way until the last frame, when Calhoun ripped back-to-back homeruns to pull ahead 4-2 for the win.
In the finale Saturday, Vista Ridge put up three runs in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead, enough support for Hendriks (10 strikeouts) to take the win.
Alexis Lynn started with a one-out single, and Thom singled after her. Crawford then loaded the bases with a walk, and Ramirez walked as well to score Lynn. Schmidt capped the inning with a two-run, two-out single up the middle to score Crawford and Ramirez.
District 16-5A play got underway on Tuesday as the Lady Rangers hosted Leander.
Vista Ridge will host Georgetown Friday at 7:30 p.m. before two games over the Spring Break holiday — at McNeil Monday at 7:30 p.m. and hosting Cedar Park Wednesday at the same time.