High school softball: Ridgeline runs away from Bingham with 12-run sixth inning

Ridgeline softball coach Michael Anderson made a point of scheduling a handful of difficult nonregion games late in the season — including Tuesday’s contest at defending 6A champion Bingham — to sharpen up for the 4A state tournament.

After thumping Bingham 13-0 on Tuesday aided by a 12-run sixth inning, the Riverhawks should be brimming with confidence when the playoffs get underway next week.

“The benefit of playing Bingham is you’re playing one of the top 3-4 teams in the state, so it gets us really hardened for state coming up. Every year, (Bingham coach) Mikki (Jackson) puts together one of the best teams,” said Anderson. “We knew we were going to find tough pitching, tough hitting.”

For five innings, that’s exactly what the Riverhawks got as they narrowly led 1-0, with their lone run aided by a Bingham error.

Through those five innings, Bingham ace Brecka Larsen hadn’t given up a hit while striking out eight, as the pitchers’ duel between Larsen and Ridgeline’s Brielle Gardiner was more than living up to expectations.

Ridgeline played small ball to score that lone run in the fourth inning. After Adi Hansen reached base on a Bingham error, she quickly stole second base, then third and then scored on an RBI groundout by Gardiner. With the way both pitchers were hitting their spots, Anderson thought there was a good chance a 1-0 lead might hold up.

In the sixth inning though, the wheels started to come off for Bingham.

It started innocently enough with Gardiner and Anne Wallace singling, with Wallace reaching on a bunt single.

“Sometimes it’s one play, so we work so much on that bunting and so much on the small ball. Even our big kids bunt and kind of broken it open with Anne on a bunt,” said Anderson.

Lexi Bradford followed with a bunt toward first, but instead of trying to get the easier out, Bingham tried to get the runner at home, but the throw was late.

Two of Ridgeline’s next two batters singled as well, stretching the lead to 4-0.

Bingham junior Kamrie Cowley then came on in relief of Larsen, but the hits and errors just kept coming. The first batter Cowley faced was Ridgeline’s No. 9 hitter, whose sharp grounded was bobbled allowing the fifth run across the plate.

Leadoff hitter Ellie Pond followed with a two-run single, and then singles by Hansen and Gardiner scored two more runs as the lead swelled to 8-0.

“This game is not a 13-0 game, it really isn’t. Some things split open. They had bases loaded (in the second inning) and if we miss a play there, they bust it open on us,” said Anderson.

Things snowballed so quickly for Bingham that even when Cowley struck out Wallace, the Ridgeline slugger still reached base as the ball was in the dirt, which allowed another run to score.

The final disastrous dagger for Bingham came with the bases loaded as two throwing errors allowed three more runs to score for the 13-0 lead.

It was the first time Bingham has been 10-run ruled since an 11-1 loss to Riverton in 2022.

Ridgeline’s freshman pitcher gave up a couple of hits in the bottom of the sixth inning but capped the shutout performance with her sixth strikeout of the game as the Miners left the bases loaded.

Gardiner improved to 20-1 on the season with the win including 189 strikeouts.

“For Bri, she gets up for stuff like this, and Anne does a good job catching her. She does not play like a freshman. That kid plays like a junior, and she’s got some maturity to her. Love the way she competed today,” said Anderson, who said he’s been impressed with how Gardiner’s endurance has increased this spring as she’s thrown a ton more pitches than she does with her traveling team.

At the plate, Gardiner finished the game going 2 for 4 with her 41st and 42nd RBIs of the season.

Anderson said Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M are among the big NCAA programs who are actively recruiting Gardiner.