Niayla Calvo’s Vanden High teammates had no problem with the sophomore missing the April 11 game at Vacaville, It is not as if they could have stopped her from traveling to a softball camp at the University of Arkansas. And as it turned out, they Vikings did not need her to beat the Bulldogs 9-4.

Vanden beat Vacaville and Pioneer in a three-day span to rejoin the race for the Monticello Empire League championship. The Vikings were 1-2 in the MEL after losing to the Bulldogs and Patriots, but they are now riding a 14-game winning streak despite not having Calvo in two of those games.

Calvo also missed the 17-1 victory over Rodriguez on April 30 to attend a camp at Oklahoma. If Calvo is not the best sophomore hitter in the country, she is on a short list of 10th graders attracting interest from several major colleges. The Sooners just happen to be the four-time defending NCAA champions.

Skipping the camp at Oklahoma to play against Rodriguez might have led the Sooners to wonder if Calvo had no interest or already had her heart set on playing elsewhere. Calvo and her mother Jennifer have also taken trips to Texas and Florida to get an idea if Calvo will be fine spending four years in Austin or Gainesville. Even if those four years are two years away, the real recruiting begins begin Sept. 1 when colleges can contact high school juniors.

None of that should matter right now because the Vikings will host West Park of Roseville at 4 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals of the Sac-Joaquin Division III playoffs. Vanden erased a two-run deficit Wednesday to pound Christian Brothers 12-2 in the first round. Calvo went 2-for-3 with three RBI.

Calvo was responsible for the Falcons scoring two unearned runs in the first inning. The usually sure-handed shortstop misplayed a grounder for just her third error this season. She then belted a double in the bottom of the first as the Vikings answered with three runs to take the lead for good.

For Calvo, two doubles in three at-bats dropped her average to .692. She was at .720 before going 0-for-2 April 18 against River City for her third hitless game this season. That ended her nine-game hitting streak during which she was 24-for-32 (.750) with eight doubles, one home run and 16 RBI.

Delete the six at-bats in Calvo’s three hitless games and she would be hitting .782. The only MEL player worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Calvo is Vacaville’s Hayden Kyne. The Notre Dame-bound senior is hitting .597 and has had at least one hit in each of the 20 games she has played.

Her double in three at-bats April 25 against Salinas might turn out to be the last hit of her four-year varsity career. Kyne fractured her left middle finger during spring break when she was playing in a tournament with her travel team. She has missed four games and who knows if she will ever return. 

Vacaville is 3-1 without Kyne, including an 8-1 win over Tokay on Wednesday in the Division II playoffs. Taylor Martin is playing catcher in Kyne’s absence and the junior will be behind the plate Friday when the second-seeded Bulldogs host No. 5 Elk Grove in a quarterfinal game at 4 p.m.