HUTTO – The Hutto Hippos went toe-to-toe with the Lake Ridge Eagles in an elimination game Saturday, May 6, and it took extra innings to get it done.
The Hippos would unfortunately fall to the Eagles in 5-4 in eight innings to end their season, but they went down swinging.
Lake Ridge was the away team and jumped out to an early lead within the first two innings to give themselves a little bit of confidence early in the game. Lake Ridge scored one run in the first and two runs in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead into the third inning.
The Hippos responded in the third and fourth innings to show Lake Ridge that they were here to play. The Hippos would score two runs in the third and one run in the fourth to even up the game at 3-3.
Then the defenses for both teams started to lock in as the game rolled along. Lake Ridge and the Hippos’ defenses would hold the other scoreless in the fifth inning, but that was just the start.
The Hippos had a lapse defensively that led to Lake Ridge scoring the tie breaker in the sixth inning, putting a ton of pressure on the Hippos. The Hippos were unable to even the score in the bottom of the sixth inning, but thankfully their defense was up to the task in the top of the seventh.
Down one run, Hutto knew this was do or die for their season, and with their backs against the wall, they were able to get the run they needed. Now tied at 4-4, the Hippos went out on defense and Lake Ridge was hungry to get back on top.
Lake Ridge scored the game-winning run before the Hippos were able to get out of the inning. The Hippos were unable to rally, and Lake Ridge was declared the winner.
The Hippos season has now officially concluded, and with plenty of returning juniors, they remain optimistic, especially when looking toward the future.
