Charis Sultemeier’s two solid pitching performances against Fredericksburg and Llano—along with the all-around play of Anna Hollingsworth—helped the Lago Vista softball team to a third-place finish in the Blanco Tournament this past weekend.
The Lady Vikings rode the arm of Hannah Pietz who threw six scoreless innings in an opening round shutout of St. Andrews. Lago opened up a 1-0 lead in the first inning after Courtney Sukup trotted home on a fielder’s choice to give the Lady Vikings the lead.
Taylor Hillhouse and Baylee Donley each crossed home plate in the second and third inning to stake the team with a 3-0 lead. Two more runs in the fourth and fifth gave the Lady Vikings a comfortable 7-0 lead before they added one more run in the sixth to close out the Knights.
The win sent the team up against perennial powerhouse Johnson City. Viking defense didn’t fare as well against a formidable Eagle offense that took an early 4-0 lead before dispatching the Vikings, 9-2.
The Eagle pitching staff held the Lady Vikings to 2 for 23 at the plate and two late runs off the bat and base running of Sukup who scored in the fourth and sixth innings. Johnson City also capitalized on four Lago Vista fielding errors that accounted for four unearned runs in the victory Eagle victory.
“We started to hit the ball well against St. Andrew’s and I thought we had a solid chance against Johnson City. Their (Johnson City) pitching staff really did a number on our hitters,” Coach Sommer Wilson said.
The Lady Vikings rebounded in its next contest of the tournament when it held on late to defeat the Fredericksburg Battlin’ Billies and move onto the consolation game. With the game tied at 2-2 in the third, the Lady Vikings got a timely RBI single from Sultemeier to put them ahead 3-2 going into the fourth.
Sonia Lopez drove in another run in the fifth as the Billies countered in their half of the inning to tie the score at 4-4 once again going into the sixth. Courtney Sukup drove a pitch up the middle for a single that plated Samantha DeLeon and give the Lady Vikings a 5-4 lead going into the final frame.
Sultmeier shut down the Billies in order in the seventh to preserve the win and send the Lady Vikings into the third-place game against Llano. Anna and Jenn Hollingsworth each drove in two runs as the Lady Viking offense came alive to put away the Yellow Jackets 11-5 and claim the third-place finish.
Sultemeier backed up a strong seven inning pitching performance with two RBIs at the plate and Sukup scored three runs to set the tone for the offense this night. With a 6-0 lead after three innings, the Lady Viking defense held strong and allowed only one runner to cross home in each of the next four innings.
“Our freshmen stepped up big in this game. I was really impressed with their composure and willingness to help out in whatever capacity I needed them to play,” Wilson said. “It was a total team effort, but our underclassman showed that they can compete with our varsity starters.”
Hollingsworth and Sultemeier for were both named to the all-tournament team. With the weekend victories, Lago raised its non-conference record to 8-4 as it prepares for district play.
“Our district will be tough again this season as there are probably five or six teams that can capture the district crown,” Wilson said. “I am confident that this team is up to the challenge and can compete with any team that stands in our way of our goal to reach the playoffs.”
Lago Vista will host conference nemesis Florence Tuesday as it begins the quest of capturing the District 25-2A crown once again.

—Clint Barnes, Correspondent