Softball Game Preview: Hutto Hippos vs. Vista Ridge Rangers

The Hutto Hippos will venture away from home to challenge the Vista Ridge Rangers at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hutto is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.

Hutto took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They blew past Vandegrift 16-1. The Hippos might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by ten runs or more this season.

Bailey Kelley was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Kelley was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-2. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in doubles (two).

Sophie Mcelyea

Runs Batted In (Career)

03/17/25 vs Vandegrift	4
03/07/25 @ Round Rock Westwood	2
02/24/25 vs Stony Point	2
04/05/24 @ Harker Heights	2
02/22/24 vs Glenn	2

In other batting news, Hutto let Sophie Mcelyea and M'Kayla Hicks run wild. Mcelyea went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, and one triple, while Hicks went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. The dominant performance gave Mcelyea a new career-high in RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Makenzie Klos, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.

Hutto kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.1 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matches they've averaged 10.2.

Meanwhile, Vista Ridge was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 7-6 heartbreaker at the hands of Stony Point.

Hutto has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-9 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. Vista Ridge's loss dropped their record down to 6-8.

Hutto came out on top in a nail-biter against Vista Ridge in their previous matchup back in April of 2022, sneaking past 5-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hutto since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.