A rarity is defined as, ‘the state or quality of being rare’.
Deer Park rarely loses district softball games, but with a much tougher schedule this alignment was a possibility.
On Tuesday night, the Deer’s long district winning streak ended at 52 games.
Brazoswood came to town and took care of some early Deer Park miscues and left with a 6-2 District 24-6A win.
Deer Park (14-5, 4-1) snapped a current nine-game winning streak, which dated to a Feb. 27 loss to Katy in the Barbers Hill Invitational. Brazoswood (10-10-1, 2-3), a regional semifinalist last year, came in losing three of four, including both games last week.
If you’re counting the canceled 2020 COVID-19-shortened season, that was the last time Deer Park lost a district game. Before that, it hadn’t lost one since 2015. It was also the first district loss at Doll Field, which opened in 2023. The last home district loss was 2014.
Deer Park made noise Friday night with a 7-5 walk-off win over Clear Lake on Journey Calderno’s two-run homer. The reality of the situation, though, was Deer Park trailed that game 5-2 heading into the final inning.
“We haven’t been playing well,” Deer Park coach Amy Vidal-Bush said. “We haven’t played well in a couple of weeks and I think us not playing well just caught up to us. I think even whenever you’re not playing well and you’re winning, it’s easy to overlook some of the common factors. I think a loss sometimes hits you in the chin, just like you need it. It forces you to fix some things. So hopefully this helps.”
Brazoswood scored two runs in the top of the third on a throwing error to first base on a bunt. As the ball rolled all the way to the corner of the outfield, the Buccaneers motored around the bases.
The Buccaneers next two runs, in the fourth inning, were on a wild pitch. Abby Rios then hit a two-run double to make it 6-0 as all nine batters came to the plate that frame.
Vidal-Bush switched from starter Madi Alvarado to Braelynn Jones. Jones gave up one earned run in the fourth and then sat down nine of ten over the next three innings. The only base runner was a walk and the Texas Tech commit struck out six.
Alvarado went the first 3⅓ innings with three strikeouts and one walk. All five runs allowed were unearned as the Deer totaled five errors. She gave up three hits.
“I felt like both of them pitched really well,” Vidal-Bush said. “I felt like we got into an error frenzy with Madi and that was the main reason I went to Braelynn. I felt Braelynn really stepped up and was really chunking it tonight. That’s a positive.”
Deer Park totaled six hits and chased Brazoswood starter Bella Espinoza one out shy of a complete game. Pinch-hitter Kinsley Hyland hit a two-run single to break up the shutout in the second-to-last at-bat of the night.
Izzy Mendoza and McCartney Pledger each doubled earlier for the Deer.
Although Tuesday was their first district loss, Deer Park previously won a one-run game over Clear Creek on March 7 and this past Friday was in come-from-behind fashion against Clear Lake.
“You’re going to get everybody’s best,” Vidal-Bush said. “You better show up, or else this is gonna happen. Sometimes I think it’s good.”
Deer Park will have recuperate quickly. Now in second place, the Deer face district leader Clear Springs at Doll Field Friday evening.
“It’ll be tough,” Vidal-Bush said. “We’ve got two days to figure it out and kind of bounce back mentally. That’s a part of the fun of it.”
Deer Park’s Madi Alvarado (17) and Braelynn Jones (9) are seen during a pitching change March 18, 2025 against Brazoswood. (Jose Palomo/SportCast Media)
