Hackbarth twins among Valley Oak League’s best in softball

In the final moments of the season, Kindra and Maddi Hackbarth proved once again why they’ve been so valuable to the Oakdale High softball team.

Trailing Vista del Lago 6-3 in an elimination game in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III tournament, the Fresno State-bound twins gave the Mustangs one last glimmer of hope.

Kindra led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a base hit. Older sister Maddi followed suit moments later with her 11th home run.

The rally was all for naught, though, as Vista del Lago played the role of spoiler, ending the No. 2 seed’s season.

Although they fell short of their team goals, the Hackbarth sisters finished on top in the Valley Oak League’s year-end awards.

Kindra, a lightning-quick leadoff hitter, was named the Most Valuable Player after hitting .667, tops in the section among players with at least 80 plate appearances.

The senior center fielder was the ultimate spark plug at the front of one of the most explosive offenses in Northern California. She led the section in triples (13) and was second in the Stanislaus District in hits (58).

Maddi was the Defensive Player of the Year. The catcher called every game but one – a 5-3 loss to East Union – and provided the thunder to Kindra’s lightning.

She tied for the Stanislaus District lead with 11 home runs, a feat matched only by teammate and first-team selection Haley Fuller, and drove in a team-high 41 runs.

Oakdale shared the Valley Oak League championship – and the spotlight for most of the season – with East Union, the defending D-III titlist and 2015 mythical state champion.

The rivals split their regular-season series and looked forward to a winner-take-all showdown in the D-III final, but neither was immune to the upset.

Oakdale (22-3) and East Union (23-3) were knocked out of the tournament within hours of one another by the same team (Vista del Lago), no less.

The Mustangs and Lancers were 13-1 in league play. Oakdale coach Larry Loger and East Union’s Brian Goulart shared Coach of the Year honors.

The VOL’s other two major individual awards were reserved for the Lancers. Junior Mikayla Bongi was named the Pitcher of the Year, following in the footsteps of Delaney Pamplin, the 2015 award winner.

Bongi won 10 of her 16 starts with a 0.80 ERA, according to MaxPreps, and was a big reason why the Lancers climbed as high as No. 10 in Cal-Hi Sports’ state poll.

Michelle Castro was nearly as productive at the top of East Union’s lineup as Kindra Hackbarth in Oakdale.

The VOL’s Offensive Player of the Year, Castro hit .608 with eight home runs. She led the Lancers in runs (30), hits (45), RBI (25), stolen bases (15), triples (4) and homers.

The all-VOL first team is a formidable group, anchored by Pacific-bound shortstop Sam Owen of East Union and Sierra ace Lindsey Walljasper, a Division I prospect.

Also earning first-team honors were: Haighley Kissee, Manteca; Grace Green, Oakdale; Elysia Hernandez, Weston Ranch; Taylor Ward, East Union; Samantha Sarmiento, Kimball; Lexi Webb, Oakdale; Kendelle Messersmith, Sierra; Devi Coglio, Sierra; Alejandra Rascon, and Fuller.

The all-VOL second team included: Kendall Smith, Central Catholic; Deja Guzman, East Union; Tawny Deerinck, Manteca; Izzy Davis, Central Catholic; Rhiannon Genilla, Manteca; Megan Gist, Central Catholic; Delany Pamplin, East Union; Aryana Martinez, Manteca; Julianna Deanda, Sierra; Melissa Hansen, Manteca; Sierra Martinez, Manteca; Emily Greenwood, Oakdale; Morgan Wheeler, Kimball; Lily Pelican, Kimball; and Gizel Mendez, Kimball.

This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 1:05 PM with the headline "Hackbarth twins among Valley Oak League’s best in softball."