Month: April 2013

SOFTBALL: Delay gives Southwest extra time to score runs in sweep of Brandeis

By Mike Considine

The lightning delay Southwest had to endure last Saturday, ultimately, only postponed the inevitable.

Resuming Monday with the seven-run lead it had when the delay went into effect, the Dragons (31-5) quickly escaped the sixth inning and got to work offensively. Southwest’ added two runs in the top of the seventh inning to sweep the best-of-three series with a 12-3 victory.

Brandeis, which finished its season 20-9, was batting with one out in the sixth inning when lightning was spotted in the vicinity of Mary Ann Villarreal Complex Field No. 1. When the Class 5A bi-district game picked up Monday at the same spot in the contest and at the same location, the Broncos had a runner at first base.

Junior pitcher Kamerie Vidales, who hit a three-run home run in the first inning, left the Broncos runner stranded. The Dragons, who hadn’t scored since putting up seven runs in the third inning, proceeded to complete the sweep with the two-run rally.

Freshman first baseman Caitlin Terrazas drove in Southwest’s 11th run with a base hit. Catcher Gabby Flores boosted the Dragons’ lead to nine with a sacrifice fly.

Vidales led Southwest with five RBIs. Terrazas contributed two hits and was robbed of another by an outstanding running catch from Broncos center fielder Melissa Rodriguez. Krystal Salinas added three walks and a sacrifice fly for Southwest.

Brandeis ended Southwest’s 2012 season by upsetting the Dragons in a one-game playoff.

In this series, the Dragons came back from a four-run deficit to defeat Brandeis 8-4 in Game 1 on Friday. They scored the first 10 runs in Game 2.

Southwest will play New Braunfels Canyon (29-5) in the area round. The best-of-three series will begin Thursday in New Braunfels with a 7 p.m. game. The teams will travel to Southwest for a 7 p.m. game  Friday. The third game, if necessary,  will be played at 7 p.m. on neutral ground at Steele in Cibolo.

The Cougars swept their bi-district series against Madison last weekend, winning 15-2 and 11-1.

Softball roundup (for week of April 21-27, 2013)

THIS STORY CONTAINS INFO ABOUT: Holy Cross, Edison, Brackenridge, and Jefferson (in order)

FOR A FULL STORY ON SOUTHSIDE VS. McCOLLUM baseball (April 27, 2013 @ Frank Tejeda Complex), click here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/McCollum-boys-reach-playoffs-with-victory-over-4473139.php

FOR INFO ABOUT: Southwest and Harlandale, click here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/High-school-sports-roundup-4473144.php

Knights overpower Northland Christian, move on to regional round

 

By Mike Considine

Holy Cross

The Knights (23-14-2) erupted for 11 runs in the first two innings of the TAPPS Class 4A area-round game. Holy Cross scored six runs in the first inning and added five in the second for a 13-1 win over Houston Northland Christian last Saturday at Holy Cross.

The Knights lost a tuneup game 4-1 to Harper Thursday at Holy Cross. But they won big when it counted.

Holy Cross was scheduled to play Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian May 6 at Texas A&M University in the regional round.

Edison

Clemens senior Samantha Moore pitched a no-hitter on her home diamond in Schertz as the Buffaloes shut out the District 29-4A champion Golden Bears 6-0 last Friday.

Clemens scored individual runs in the first two innings and one more in the fifth. The Buffaloes assembled a three-run rally in the sixth to put the game away.

Edison finished 14-16-2.

Brackenridge

Lockhart (24-13) blanked the Eagles (14-16-1) 7-0 at the Northeast ISD’s East Field in a Class 4A bi-district game last Friday.

Lions senior pitcher Mikaela Flores, a playoff veteran, limited Brackenridge to one hit. Lockhart scored in the first five innings, including three runs in the second. The Lions had 10 hits.

Jefferson

Hays (28-4-1), No. 16 in the Texas Girls Coaches Association state 4A poll, downed Jefferson (13-16) 12-0 last Friday in Buda.

Further details about the Class 4A bi-district game were unavailable.

Baseball roundup (for week of April 21-27, 2013)

THIS STORY CONTAINS INFO ABOUT: Harlandale

FOR A FULL STORY ON SOUTHSIDE VS. McCOLLUM baseball (April 27, 2013 @ Frank Tejeda Complex), click here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/McCollum-boys-reach-playoffs-with-victory-over-4473139.php

FOR INFO ABOUT: Highlands, Lanier, South San, Harlandale, Burbank, Edison, Kennedy, Southwest, and East Central, click here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/High-school-sports-roundup-4473144.php

Agis strikes out 14, helps Harlandale vault over Uvalde into second in 29-4A

By Mike Considine

Harlandale

Harlandale finished ahead of Uvalde (12-11-1, 8-6) in third place in District 29-4A last Saturday after Agis pitched the Indians to a 2-0 victory. The teams were tied before the game in Uvalde.

Agis (9-1) allowed just three hits in pitching the Indians to victory. The senior right-hander walked just one and struck out 14, running his season total to 126.

Richard Acosta and Brandon Ramon each contributed two of the Indians’ six hits. Harlandale scored single runs in the fourth and sixth innings.

Harlandale will play 30-4A runner-up Victoria East (19-10-1) in a 7 p.m. game Friday in the bi-district round at Victoria’s Riverside Stadium.

SPORTS ROUNDUP: Holy Cross softball advances with decisive win; Southwest on hold until Monday

Harlandale, Kennedy improve placings in 29-4A baseball finales

Holy Cross, Southwest return to action Monday

By Mike Considine

The same storm that took the fun out of the Fiesta Flambeau parade put a damper on Southwest’s plans, too – even before a drop of rain fell.

A few hours earlier, however, Holy Cross (23-14-2) was having a blast under overcast skies. The Knights drubbed Houston Northland Christian 13-1 Saturday afternoon at Holy Cross in a regional game.

In the prime-time games, Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway eliminated Harlandale 2-0 and Southwest (30-5) was leading Brandeis 10-3 when a lightning delay hit at about 9:05 p.m. Near the end of the UIL-mandated, post-strike, 20-minute waiting period, during which no lightning must be present in the area, it was mutually agreed that the teams would finish the game at 6 p.m. Monday at the same location, Mary Ann Villarreal Complex Field No. 1.

The game was just eight outs away from completion.

The first game of the series on Friday was an 8-4 comeback win for the Dragons (30-5). Saturday, Southwest romped to a 10-0 lead before the Broncos (20-8) got their offense going.

“It’s been a roller coaster ride,” Southwest coach Sandra Hernandez said. “We’ll play pretty well, but then we’ll have one bad inning. Our defense has been on. We just need to stay up on top of (our opportunities).”

No playoff spots were at stake on the final day of the District 29-5A play, but a couple of ties were broken.

Harlandale finished ahead of Uvalde in third place after senior Michael Agis pitched the Indians to a 2-0 victory. The teams were tied before the game in Uvalde.

Kennedy and Floresville were tied for fifth place before their game in Floresville Saturday. Kennedy owned fifth after defeating the Tigers 5-3.

Softball

Southwest

Before the delay, the Dragons carved out an impressive start, building on an 8-4 win in Game 1. Southwest scored the first 10 runs Saturday, putting themselves on the verge of a sweep in the best of three series.
“It’s been a roller coaster ride,” Southwest coach Sandra Hernandez said. “We’ll play pretty well, but then we’ll have one bad inning. Our defense has been on. We just need to stay up on top of (our opportunities).”

Junior pitcher Kamerie Vidales, who helped the Dragons overcome a 4-0 deficit to Brandeis (20-8) after the first inning in Game 1, smacked a three-run home run over the left-field fence in the first inning.

Amanda Sanchez was struck by a pitch leading off the game and Krystal Salinas received a base on balls ahead of Vidales’ seventh home run this season.

Southwest produced a seven-run outburst in the third inning.

Freshman Caitlin Terrazas and junior Kayla Arguello got it rolling with a single down the left-field line and a double over the center fielder’s head, respectively, as the first two batters to the plate. A walk to junior Elizabeth Phillips loaded the bases and Sanchez forced in a run with the second of her three bases on balls.

Ahead 5-0, power-hitting Miranda Medina also walked to force in a run. Vidales ran her RBI total on the evening to five with a two-run base hit.

Terrazas then delivered her second hit of the inning, driving in a run with a two-out single. The Dragons tallied their 10th run as a result of a Broncos throwing error.

Brandeis, whose three pitchers combined to issue 10 walks, got three runs back in the bottom of the third, two on one play. Vidales, who retired the first six batters in order, suddenly had control problems. She walked Cameron Barnes with the bases loaded to make it 10-1. A throwing error on an RBI ground out gave the Broncos their last two runs of the evening.

In Friday’s game, Southwest cut the Broncos’ lead in half in the second inning. A four-run rally in the fifth assured the Dragons’ win. Southwest added two insurance runs in the sixth.

Vidales held Brandeis scoreless over the last six innings Friday.

“She really stepped up,” Hernandez said. “That’s what experience does for her. She’s a junior that’s been starting for us since Day 1. She really has a lot of experience.”

Southwest cut the Broncos’ lead in half in the second inning on a two-run double from catcher Gabby Flores, following a double by Arguello.

A four-run rally in the fifth assured the Dragons’ win. Samantha Hernandez sparked the rally with a single and Medina followed with a double. Southwest added two insurance runs in the sixth when Gonzales walked and Hernandez and Sanchez came through with base hits.

If necessary, because of a Brandeis comeback victory, a third game of the series was to follow the completion of the suspended game Monday.

Holy Cross

The Knights erupted for 11 runs in the first two innings of the area-round game. Holy Cross.scored six runs in the first inning and added five in the second against Houston Northland Christian.

The Knights lost a tuneup game 4-1 to Harper Thursday at Holy Cross. But they won big when it counted.

Holy Cross will play Monday against Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian in a 4 p.m. game at Texas A&M in the regional round.

Harlandale

Tuloso-Midway pitcher Destiny Rodriguez permitted the Indians (14-11) just two hits in the bi-district game at the Northeast ISD Complex.

Harlandale senior Stephanie Lopez allowed just six hits in her final game. The Warriors (22-8) scored single runs in the first and third innings.

Baseball

Harlandale

Agis allowed just three hits in helping the Indians (13-12, 9-5) move ahead of Uvalde (12-11-1, 8-6) in the standings.

The senior right-hander allowed just three hits in pitching Harlandale to victory. Agis (9-1) walked just one and struck out 14, running his season total to 126.

Richard Acosta and Brandon Ramon each contributed two of the Indians’ six hits. Harlandale scored single runs in the fourth and sixth innings.

Harlandale will play Victoria East (19-10-1) in a 7 p.m. game Friday in the bi-district round at Victoria’s Riverside Stadium.

Kennedy

The young Rockets (10-15, 5-9) finished won two games last week, defeating rival Memorial (2-23, 2-12) 11-1 Thursday at Edgewood Field and picked up a crucial 5-3 win at Floresville (9-18-1, 4-10) Saturday.

That victory broke a tie for fifth place in District 29-4A.

Kennedy took control in the fifth inning, breaking a 1-1 tie with four runs. Ahead 5-1, the Rockets withstood a two-run rally by Floresville in the sixth. Junior Isaiah Garcia was the winning pitcher, scattering nine hits.

BASEBALL & SOFTBALL: complete local playoff results 2013

NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE

Monday’s game

SOFTBALL

TAPPS Class 4A

Regional

Sugar Land Ft. Bend Christian Academy (25-13) 6, Holy Cross (23-15-2) 0 (Ft. Bend Christian advances)

APRIL 28-MAY 4 SCHEDULE

Saturday’s games

BASEBALL

Class 4A

Bi-district

Gregory-Portland (23-7-1)  12,  McCollum (22-6) 2 (best-of-three series, Gregory-Portland advances 2-0)

Friday’s games

BASEBALL

Class 5A

Bi-district

O’Connor (25-4-2) 1, South San (16-15-1) 0 (O’Connor advances)

Class 4A

Bi-district

Victoria East (26-13) 8, Harlandale (13-13) 2  (Victoria East advances)

Kerrville Tivy (23-7-1) 7, Edison (14-15) 6 (best-of-three series, Kerrville Tivy advances 2-0)

Clemens (20-8-2) 13, Highlands (8-18) 0 (Clemens advances)

Hays (19-9) 9, Burbank (12-16) 7 (best-of-three series, Hays advances 2-0)

SOFTBALL

Class 5A

Bi-district

New Braunfels Canyon (31-5) 8, Southwest (31-7) 6 (best-of-three series, New Braunfels Canyon advances 2-0)

Thursday’s games

BASEBALL

Class 4A

Bi-district

Hays (18-9) 10, Burbank (12-15) 1 (best-of-three series, Hays leads series 1-0)

Gregory-Portland (22-7-1) 10, McCollum (22-5) 4 (best-of-three series, Gregory-Portland leads series 1-0)

Kerrville Tivy (21-7-1) 6, Edison (14-13) 0 (best-of-three series, Kerrville Tivy leads series 1-0)

SOFTBALL

Class 5A

Area

Smithson Valley (21-7) 17, East Central (21-12) 2 (Smithson Valley wins series)

New Braunfels Canyon (30-5) 7,  Southwest (31-6) 4 (best-of-three series, New Braunfels Canyon leads series 1-0)

Wednesday’s games

BASEBALL

TAPPS Class 5A

Area

Houston St. Thomas (26-6) 6, Central Catholic (22-9-1)  3

Monday’s games

SOFTBALL

Class 5A

Bi-district

Southwest (31-5) 12, Brandeis (20-9) 3 (completion of game suspended Saturday; Southwest wins best-of-three series 2-0)

.

APRIL 21-27 SCHEDULE

Saturday’s games

SOFTBALL

Class 5A

Bi-district

Southwest (30-5) vs. Brandeis (20-8) at Villarreal Field No. 1, (best-of-three series, Southwest leads 1-0) (postponed to Monday)

Class 4A

Bi-district

Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway (22-8) 2, Harlandale (14-11) 0 (Tuloso-Midway advances)

Friday’s games

SOFTBALL

Class 5A

Bi-district

Southwest (30-5) 8, Brandeis (20-8) 4 (best-of-three series, Southwest leads 1-0)

East Central (21-11) 7, Warren (15-12-2) 3 (East Central advances)

Class 4A

Bi-district

Lockhart (24-13) 7, Brackenridge (14-16-1) 0 at NEISD East Field, 6 p.m. (Lockhart advances)

Clemens (24-8) 6, Edison (14-16-2) 0 (Clemens advances)

Hays (26-4-1) 12, Jefferson (13-15) 0 (Hays advances)

BASEBALL: Cowboys attend to business at hand with 8-2 win over Southside

Harlandale, Kennedy also score big wins on 29-4A final day

By Mike Considine

FOR A FULL STORY ON SOUTHSIDE VS. McCOLLUM baseball (April 27, 2013 @ Frank Tejeda Complex), click here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/McCollum-boys-reach-playoffs-with-victory-over-4473139.php

McCollum fully understood that the stakes have been raised Saturday at the Frank Tejeda Complex.

The Cowboys (22-4, 11-3) made the playoffs last week, locked up second place in District 29-5A with a win over rival Harlandale Thursday and even had the bi-district dates and times set before they took the field against Southside (7-20, 3-11). Although the program is headed for its first postseason in several years, McCollum knew it was no time to relax.

In fact, the Cowboys played well in all facets of the game while defeating the Cardinals 8-2 – just as any veteran postseason-bound team hopes to do in its final district game.

“Our kids are excited the season’s not over,” Garza said. “They wanted to keep the momentum, going into the playoffs. That was the key.”

McCollum finished ahead of Harlandale in the district standings. The Indians won 2-0 at Uvalde as senior Michael Agis pitched a three-hitter. The win put Harlandale in third ahead of the Coyotes. Kennedy also broke a tie Saturday, winning 5-3 at Floresville to take sole custody of fifth place.

Southside finished seventh. Its season ended with the loss. Cardinals coach Fernando Garcia indicated that the 2014 season will unofficially begin Monday, as team begins its offseason training regimen.

Along with Kennedy, Southside was one of the youngest teams in the district this season. Next year, the junior-heavy Cardinals hope to make the same type of performance jump that McCollum made from last year to this year.

“Hopefully, they’ll come back with a focus,” he said. “We’ll re-evaluate things and see how we can do things differently that didn’t go our way.

“It’ll start with our approach on Monday. We’ll try to keep respecting the game,.leave everything on the field and play hard all seven innings. If they buy into that (philosophy), we’ll do well.”

McCollum will play host to Gregory-Portland (21-7-1) in a three-game bi-district series. The first game is tentatively scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Game 2 will take place at noon next Saturday at G-P, with the third game to follow it, if necessary.

“It’s been three years since my freshman year,” said Cowboys senior Jonathan Arevalo, who effectively put the game out of reach with a fifth-inning, two-run double. “We’ve been working for it. We want to make this year memorable.

“Since freshman year, we thought we could make (the playoffs), but never made it. Other teams would beat us badly. But now it’s a different situation. Now it’s us winning those games.

“We’re very ready for this.”

Arevalo’s sophomore brother, Hector, pitched six shutout innings while the Cowboys built their lead. Although Southside scored twice in the final inning, the younger Arevalo pitched out of the jam.

“I was just relaxed,” Hector said. “I tried to control myself and throw strikes. We really wanted to win this game. We’re going into the playoffs, so we didn’t want to let up. I wanted to keep the team up.”

McCollum scored twice in the first inning as Ryan Villalobos hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded. An RBI single from Hector Arevalo made it 3-0 after two innings.

Jesse Medina had a sacrifice fly in the fifth ahead of Jonathan Arevalo’s two-run double that gave the Cowboys a 6-0 cushion. Rafael Ramirez produced another run with a single to right field.

McCollum’s final run came courtesy of a double from Medina.

Southside had seven hits, but didn’t break through on the scoreboard until its last at-bat. Gabe Botello’s slicing drive up the middle took a dive at just the right time to skip all the way to the fence. Botello rounded the bases for a rare inside-the-park home run.

It was Botello’s second home run of the season.

“Southside played well,” Garza said. “We didn’t hit the ball as well as we wanted to, but our pitchers threw strikes and we played good defense. In three of the four games we lost, we didn’t throw strikes.”

 

SOFTBALL: East Central beats Warren 7-3 in area round, Smithson Valley next

By Mike Considine

East Central advanced to the area round for the second time in three years.

The Hornets (21-11) defeated Warren 7-3 Friday night at Judson in a Class 5A bi-district game.

“We scored five runs in the first two innings,” East Central coach Bryan Waller said. “ We came out and hit the ball pretty well. We had a goal to put pressure on their defense. They made some errors, and we capitalized on those errors.”

Hornets pitcher Madison Strunk didn’t allow a run until the seventh inning.

“We had strong pitching the whole game,” Waller said. “ Maddie gave up a leadoff single in the top of the first, but they didn’t get to her until the seventh. She was a good hitter and happened to get a piece of the bat on the ball.

“We made an adjustment, made some changes, and she got the next two outs.”

Haydi Bugarin hit a solo homer in the second to increase the lead to 5-0. It was the sophomore third baseman’s team-leading sixth home run this year.

East Central scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Strunk hit a double off the wall in the first inning. Doege also had a strong game at the plate..

“The top of the order hit the ball really well,” Waller said. “ We hit the ball hard, even when it was an out.”

The Hornets advance to meet Smithson Valley (20-7) in the area round, 7 p.m. Thursday. The Rangers will take an eight-game winning streak into the winner-take-all contest. East Central has won seven of its last eight games.

SPORTS ROUNDUP: Southwest softball gains upper hand in series with Brandeis

South San and red-hot Highlands book postseason appearances in baseball

By Mike Considine

No stranger to the playoffs, Southwest’s softball team understands how important it is to take charge of a three-game series in Game 1. The Dragons (30-5) did exactly that Friday at the Mary Ann Villarreal Complex Field No. 1.

Southwest defeated Brandeis (20-8), the third place team from 27-5A, in a bi-district game. The series continues with 7 p.m. games Saturday and, if necessary, Monday at Villarreal No. 1.

The Dragons may have been the only local team to survive the opening night of the playoffs. The result of District 28-5A rival and co-champion East Central’s bi-district game against Warren were unavailable as of early Saturday morning.

The 28-5A baseball season came to the anticipated dramatic conclusion, but it was an anti-climax for two area teams. The third, South San, absorbed a loss in Corpus Christi in its finale – however, the Bobcats finished in a three-way tie for second place. Tie-breaking details are to be determined.

In a District 29-4A fourth-place tie-breaker, Highlands (8-17) scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to edge Lanier (9-15).

Highlands and South San (16-13-1, 5-5) became the last two local baseball teams to qualify for the playoffs. Earlier qualifiers were: Burbank, Central Catholic, Edison, Harlandale and McCollum.

Softball

Southwest

Junior pitcher Kamerie Vidales helped the Dragons overcome a 4-0 deficit to Brandeis after the first inning in Game 1.

Southwest cut the Broncos’ lead in half in the second inning. A four-run rally in the fifth assured the Dragons’ win. Southwest added two insurance runs in the sixth.

Vidales held Brandeis scoreless over the last six innings.

Edison

Clemens senior Samantha Moore pitched a no-hitter on her home diamond in Schertz as the Buffaloes shut out the District 29-4A champion Golden Bears.

Clemens scored individual runs in the first two innings and one more in the fifth. The Buffaloes assembled a three-run rally in the sixth to put the game away.

Edison finished 14-16-2.

Brackenridge

Lockhart (24-13) blanked the Eagles (14-16-1) 7-0 at the Northeast ISD’s East Field.

Lions senior pitcher Mikaela Flores, a playoff veteran, limited Brackenridge to one hit. Lockhart scored in the first five innings, including three runs in the second. The Lions had 10 hits.

Jefferson

Hays (27-4-1), No. 16 in the Texas Girls Coaches Association state 4A poll, downed Jefferson (13-16) 12-0 Friday in Buda. Further details about the Class 4A bi-district game were unavailable.

Baseball

Highlands/Lanier

The Owls forced a fourth-place tie-breaker Thursday with a win over Brackenridge and carried the momentum into Friday’s game at SAISD Field No. 1.

Highlands reached the bi-district playoffs for the first time in seven years. It’s worth noting that the last six years were spent in Class 5A.

Lanier scored the first two runs, in the second and fourth innings. The Owls closed to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth. They sent the game into extra innings with a run in the fifth.

The Voks went down fighting. They took the lead with a run in the top of ninth, before Highlands struck for two for the walk-off win.

Owls junior Steven Martinez was the winning pitcher.

South San

The Bobcats couldn’t recover after Corpus Christi Carroll (19-9, 5-5) scored five runs in the first two innings at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi.

South San shared second place in 28-5A with Carroll and Corpus Christi King (15-12-1, 5-5).

The Bobcats received one hit apiece from senior Juan DeAlejandro, Adam Rodriguez and Nick Herrera. Starting pitcher Joseph Valle struck out six, but was charged with Carroll’s first five runs.

Southwest

The Dragons (12-13, 4-6) led 2-1 after an inning and tied the score 3-3 in the bottom of the second, but 28-5A champion Steele (18-12, 8-2) outlasted them Friday at Southwest.

Southwest fell behind 6-3 in the third. The Knights scored in the next two innings before the Dragons scored two of their own in the fifth.

John Cummins drove in two runs and was the winning pitcher for Steele.

East Central

King defeated the Hornets (13-12-2, 3-7) in a high-scoring game at East Central. The Mustangs mustered 16 hits, including a home run from Benny Zamudio in the 18-8 decision.

East Central scored two runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead and finished with nine hits. King scored its runs in bunches. The outbursts included six in the second, seven in the fourth and five in the fifth, which ended the game due to the 10-run rule.

The Hornets were within 6-4 after four innings. They also rallied to score three runs in the fourth, to make the score 13-7.

BASEBALL: Edison notches playoff berth while McCollum clinches second in 29-4A

Highlands win earns fourth-place tie with Lanier in 28-4A

By Mike Considine

A fourth local team qualified for the playoffs and two more earned a chance to advance Thursday as the District 29-4A season wound down.

Edison (14-12, 7-5) will move on as the No. 3 seed in 29-4A after shutting down Jefferson (6-17, 3-9) behind a shutout from senior ace Zach Garcia. The Golden Bears won 10-0.

Most of the drama Thursday in 28-4A was focused on Highlands and Lanier, each of whom was involved in more than its share of close games over the 12-game schedule.

That wasn’t really the case on the district season’s final day. Highlands (7-17, 5-7) defeated Brackenridge 4-1 and Lanier (9-14, 5-7) fell 15-1 to Burbank to force a fourth-place tiebreaker game to be announced.

Although each of District 29-4A playoff spots had been decided last weekend, there was no shortage of excitement in Thursday’s four games. Two big reasons were the rivalry games between McCollum and Harlandale and Kennedy and Memorial.

McCollum prevailed over its rival assure itself of the No. 2 playoff seed from 29-4A. Kennedy defeated Memorial and will enter Saturday’s game against Floresville with a chance to place fifth outright. The district season concludes Saturday.

Friday is the last day for District 28-5A this year. It promises to continue the district’s trend this year of being completely unpredictable. First-place Steele (17-12, 7-2) is the only team assured of making the playoffs.

Sixth-place East Central (13-12-2, 3-6) tuned up for the big day with a strong performance against 28-4A champion Brennan. The Hornets absorbed a tough 4-3 loss at East Central.

McCollum/Harlandale

McCollum (21-4, 9-3) exacted some revenge on rival Harlandale (12-12, 8-5) and locked down second place in 29-4A with a hard-earned 4-2 win at the Frank Tejeda Complex.

The Indians had a chance to share second place if they had won their last two games.

Harlandale, which defeated the Cowboys 10-0 April 5, is tied with Uvalde for third place, heading into their showdown at noon Saturday in Uvalde. The Coyotes lost 8-4 to district champion Medina Valley (25-2, 13-0) Thursday, so the teams remained deadlocked.

McCollum took a 1-0 lead in the first inning after falling behind early in the first meeting. The Cowboys added two more runs in the top of the fourth, but the Indians retaliated with a pair of runs in their half of the inning. McCollum added an insurance run in the fifth.

Eric Salinas was the winning pitcher for the Cowboys. No further McCollum stats were available.

Harlandale was led by Michael Agis, with two hits including a double. Indians pitcher Nickolas Martinez allowed just one earned run while striking out seven.

McCollum will play host to Southside (7-19-1, 3-10) at noon Saturday at the Tejeda complex. The Cardinals lost 7-3 at Floresville when the Tigers (9-17-1, 4-9) broke a 3-3 tie with four runs in the fifth inning.

Highlands

The Owls were led by 6-foot-1 junior Jordan DeLuna, who was the winning pitcher and drove in a run in the early game at SAISD Field No. 1.

Junior Steven Martinez went two-for-two for Highlands against Brackenridge (8-18, 2-10). Juan Diaz drove in a run. Maurice Devora blasted a double.

The Eagles tied the game 1-1 in the top of the second inning. Highlands held on after scoring twice in the fourth.

Burbank/Lanier

Burbank (13-14, 9-3) already was assured of its placing in 28-4A and its playoff status. That didn’t deter the Bulldogs at all, however, Thursday at SAISD Field No. 1 as they smacked Lanier 15-1 in five innings.

Burbank stormed to a 7-0 lead in the first inning. The Voks scored their run in the bottom of the first, but the Bulldogs pushed across four runs apiece in the second and fifth.

Senior Eduardo Salas was the winning pitcher, tossing a two hitter. The Bulldogs had 15 hits. Lanier individual statistics from the game were unavailable.

Edison

Garcia struck out 14 and allowed three hits as the Golden Bears cruised to victory at Field No. 2.

Edison scored in each of the first five innings as they built a 6-0 lead. The Golden Bears put the game to rest with a four-run rally in the top of the seventh.

Kennedy/Memorial

The Rockets (9-15, 4-9) downed rival Memorial (2-22, 2-11) 11-1 Thursday at Edgewood Field.

Kennedy scored twice in the top of the first, but the Minutemen cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning. The Rockets scored two runs in the third, five in the fourth and two in the sixth.

Rockets freshman Fabian Del Toro allowed two hits against the Minutemen. Junior Isaiah Garcia hit a home run for Kennedy.

Local baseball results (April 25-27, 2013)

NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface

Saturday’s games

BASEBALL

District 29-4A

Harlandale (13-12, 9-5) 2, Uvalde (12-11-1, 8-6) 0

Kennedy (10-15, 5-9) 5, Floresville (9-18-1, 4-10) 3

 McCollum (22-4, 11-3) 8, Southside (7-20, 3-11) 4

Medina Valley (26-2, 14-0) 9, Memorial (2-23, 2-12) 1

Friday’s games

BASEBALL

District 28-5A

Corpus Christi King (15-12-1, 5-5) 18, East Central (13-12-2, 3-7) 8

Corpus Christi Carroll (19-9, 5-5) 7, South San (16-13-1, 5-5) 0

Steele (18-12, 8-2) 8, Southwest (12-13, 4-6) 5

District 28-4A

Fourth-place tie-breaker

Highlands (8-17, 5-7) 4,  Lanier (9-15, 5-7) 3

Thursday’s games

BASEBALL

District 28-4A

Burbank (12-14, 9-3) 15, Lanier (9-14, 5-7) 1

Highlands (7-17, 5-7) 4, Brackenridge (8-18, 2-10) 1

Edison (14-12, 7-5) 10, Jefferson (6-17, 3-9) 0

District 29-4A

Floresville (9-17-1, 4-9) 7, Southside (7-19, 3-10) 3

Kennedy (9-15, 4-9) 11, Memorial (2-22, 2-11) 1

McCollum (21-4, 10-3) 4, Harlandale (12-12, 8-5) 2

Medina Valley (25-2, 13-0) 8, Uvalde (12-10, 8-5) 4

District 28-3A

Sam Houston (3-17, 2-6) at Hawkins

Non-district 28-5A

Brennan (19-4-1) 4, East Central (13-12-2) 3

SOFTBALL ROUNDUP (for week ending April 20, 2013)

THIS STORY CONTAINS INFO ABOUT: Edison, Southwest, Holy Cross, Brackenridge, Jefferson and McCollum (in order)

FOR A FULL STORY ON SOUTHSIDE VS. HARLANDALE softball (April 19, 2013 @ Frank Tejeda Complex), click here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Harlandale-softball-team-shoots-past-Southside-4453963.php

FOR INFO ABOUT: East Central and the playoff situation, click here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/High-School-sports-round-up-4453971.php

By Mike Considine

Edison

In District 28-4A, Edison (14-15-2, 10-2) won an outright title Friday with a 14-4 victory over Jefferson (13-15, 7-5), after clinching a share of first place with an emotional victory over Brennan Tuesday.

The Golden Bears had built a 5-0 lead by the bottom of the third inning Friday, when the Mustangs scored their first run. Jefferson clawed back within 5-3 in the fourth. However, Edison wasn’t willing to settle for just a share of first place.

Edison assured itself of the outright championship with four runs in the fifth inning and five in the seventh. The Golden Bears had won four-consecutive games and eight in a row in the district.

“(The girls) worked really hard every day,” Edison coach Aimee Silva said.

The 11-10 win over Brennan (15-11, 9-3) April 14 was special for two reasons. Not only did it give the Golden Bears a chance to snare their fourth-consecutive district title, it was achieved on a night set aside for raising awareness of breast cancer, the disease that claimed former Edison coach Mary Ann Villarreal in 2010.

It was the known as the first annual Pitch For the Cure game.

“We had been struggling at the bottom of the lineup,” Silva said. “It ended up that our No. 9 hitter came through that inning. When we got to the top of the lineup, I knew we’d score some runs.”

Edison’s Celeste Vela was the winning pitcher in a game of momentum swings. The Golden Bears rode their first-place showdown adrenaline to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. They added two more runs in the second to counter a run from Brennan, which was concluding its district schedule.

The Bears pulled away to lead 10-6 lead by their half of the sixth. Edison closed to 10-8 in the bottom of the inning.

With bases loaded and none out in the seventh, No. 9 hitter Mari Quinones hit into a force play. Brennan got the lead runner out at the plate, but an errant return throw to third base put Edison within 10-8. Brittany Salinas scored on the play.

With Quinones at second base and April Escobedo at third, Vela smacked a two-run single that gave Edison the walkoff win as well as made herself the winning pitcher.

Southwest

The Dragons (29-5, 8-2) held on to their share of first April 16 to win a fourth-consecutive championship, blasting Steele (17-12, 5-5) 11-2 at Southwest.

Southwest wasted no time in establishing their dominance against the Knights. The Dragons struck for three runs in the bottom of the first inning.

The Dragons had an even bigger knockout punch waiting. They erupted for eight runs in the fourth to squelch the Knights’ hopes for an upset that would have assured them the No. 3 seed in 28-5A. Steele tied King for third.

Steele scored both of its runs in the fifth, with help from a home run by Nala Quevido. Southwest junior pitcher Kamarie Vidales limited the Knights to four hits. The Dragons amassed nine.

Southwest will draw either Brandeis (20-6) or Holmes (19-9) in the bi-district round. The 27-5A teams are currently tied for third place.

Holy Cross

The Knights (21-13-2) lost 5-1 to Victoria St. Joseph (20-8) in the championship game of the TAPPS District 3-4A Tournament last Saturday after trouncing Austin St. Dominic Savio 12-2 April 16 in the semifinals.

In the title game in Victoria, Holy Cross scored first, in top of fourth, as Knights pitcher Julia Ibarra kept the home team in check. However, St. Joseph answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. St. Joseph added two more in the fifth on a base hit from Christine Janak.

The Flyers finished with 11 hits. The Knights had six hits off winning pitcher Amanda Sohrt.

In the semifinals, the Knights broke the game open with a five-run fourth inning. A three-run rally in the sixth increased their lead to 12-0. St. Dominic Savio scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, but it wasn’t enough to stave off the 10-run rule.

Holy Cross produced 15 hits. St. Dominic Savio had three.

Brackenridge/Jefferson

Brackenridge (14-15-1, 8-4) nudged Jefferson out of third place with a 14-5 win over Highlands (8-20, 3-9) last Friday at Villarreal Field No. 3, while Edison defeated the Mustangs on Field No. 1.

Jefferson’s loss, coupled with Brackenridge’s win, settled the district’s playoff situation. Brackenridge finished third and the Mustangs took fourth.

The Eagles, who defeated Jefferson a week earlier, scored once in the first inning and four times in the fourth. The Owls then battled back with four runs in the fifth and a tying run in the sixth. Brackenridge broke the 5-5 tie with an alarming nine runs in the top of the seventh. The Eagles finished with 14 hits. Highlands had seven.

Jefferson had a chance to pull even with Brackenridge in the standings after blasting Burbank (7-17, 4-8) 17-5 April 16,.while the Eagles won 11-0 against Lanier (5-20, 1-11). Mary Loera was the winning pitcher for the Mustangs, who scored four runs in the second, six in the sixth and seven in the seventh.

The Bulldogs had taken a 6-4 lead with five runs in the fourth inning. Both teams finished with 11 hits.

Brackenridge sophomore Alexis Berlanga pitched a combined one-hitter against Lanier. Berlanga struck out four in 4 2/3 innings.

Miranda Sandoval led the Eagles, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Berlanga also hit a home run. Ashley Falcon drove in two runs. Allie Castillo, Celeste Canales and Kristen Reyna all drove in runs.

McCollum

The fifth-place Cowboys fell behind 6-0 by the middle of the third inning in their loss to Medina Valley April 16.

After scoring a run in the third, McCollum couldn’t push any runs across until the bottom of the seventh against the district champions at the Tejeda Complex. Trailing 11-1, the Cowboys produced four runs. The Panthers had a 15-hit attack. McCollum also had a solid night at the plate with five hits.

Last Friday at Tiger Field it was a different story. The Cowboys took control with seven runs in the second inning and three more in the third. Winning pitcher Amber Saucedo limited the Rockets to five hits. McCollum had 10 hits.

BASEBALL ROUNDUP (for week ending April 20, 2013)

THIS STORY CONTAINS INFO ABOUT: Burbank, McCollum, Lanier and Southwest (in order)

FOR A FULL STORY ON SOUTHSIDE VS. HARLANDALE softball (April 19, 2013 @ Frank Tejeda Complex), click here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Harlandale-softball-team-shoots-past-Southside-4453963.php

FOR INFO ABOUT: Burbank, Harlandale, McCollum and South San, click here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/High-School-sports-round-up-4453971.php

By Mike Considine

Burbank

The Bulldogs (11-14, 8-3) notched a key 5-4 victory over Edison (13-12, 6-5) April 16 and won another close one 6-5 over Jefferson (6-16, 3-8) last Friday at the SAISD Complex. The wins locked up a playoff berth for Burbank.

The victory over Edison fortified the Bulldogs’ hold on second place, while the Golden Bears remained in third. Burbank scored four runs in the second inning to take control. Edison closed to 4-3 an inning later. The Bulldogs tallied the winning run in the fifth.

Nick Canas (RBI), Frank Romo (RBI) and Eduardo Salas each had two hits for the Bulldogs. Matt Ramirez drove in two runs. Salas was the winning pitcher, striking out five. Ramirez provided relief help.

Julian Cortez hit a home run for Edison.

Against Jefferson, the Bulldogs had to come back from a 4-1 deficit to claim the win. The teams were tied 1-1 after an inning. The Mustangs added two runs in the third and one in the fourth to get the early advantage in the pitcher’s duel. Burbank rallied with three runs in the fifth to tie it and came through with a dramatic win, scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh.

Senior Andy Morales struck out seven and combined with Ramirez on a four-hit performane. Ramirez relieved Morales to get the last two outs. Both teams had four earned runs.

Jefferson received a strong performance from Nicholas Flores, who limited Burbank to five hits. Flores struck out four.

The Mustangs were led offensively by Ralph Lazarine, who had a double, a triple and two RBIs. Nate DeHoyos contributed two hits and an RBI. Lane Jimenez had a double and two RBIs.

Burbank got two RBIs apiece from Salas and Morales. Romo and Conrad Perez also drove in runs.

McCollum

The Cowboys edged Kennedy 7-6 to hold onto second place in 29-4A following a loss to district-leading Medina Valley April 16 at the Tejeda Complex.

Against Kennedy at Edgewood Field, Jesse Medina (2-for-3) led McCollum with double and two RBIs. Patrick Jauregui and Ruben Reyes collected RBIs. Hector Arevalo and Dominik Ortiz each scored two runs.

Rockets freshman Del Toro limited the Cowboys’ potent lineup to five hits. Kennedy finished with seven.

McCollum’s Eric Salinas (8 strikeouts, 6 2/3 innings) earned the win with help from Gabe Contreras.

Medina Valley defeated the Cowboys 13-0 as Panthers pitcher Jonathan DeVries allowed three hits and struck out 10.

Lanier

The Voks (9-13, 5-6) won their only game last week to step into fourth place. Lanier defeated Brackenridge (8-17, 2-9) 13-11 last Friday at SAISD Field No. 2.

Lanier rallied to win with four runs in the sixth and sixth in the seven. Brack built a 5-1 lead in the first three innings and scored five times in the bottom of the seventh.

Brackenridge got two hits apiece from Joe Martinez (RBI), Justin Sanchez (2 doubles), Mario Roldan (double, 2 RBIs), Robert Rangel and Brayan Guerrero (RBI).

The Voks received three hits from Hector DeHoyos, including a double and three RBIs. Jesse Torres (triple, 2 RBIs), Joshua Esquivel (2 RBIs) and Nicholas Mojica (2 RBIs) each conytributed two hits.

Southwest

The Dragons (11-13, 3-6) salvaged their playoff hopes with a 3-2 win over King last Friday at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi. The win tied Southwest with East Central for fifth place in the district.

Southwest scored all of its runs in the first two innings and held on as the Mustangs scored in the fourth and fifth. Joseph Cerda was the winning pitcher and senior John Eric Cortez earned the save.

Resurgent Corpus Christi Carroll (18-9, 4-5), which gained fourth place with two wins last week, defeated Southwest 10-2 April 15 on the same field.

SOFTBALL: Local playoff results (updated April 27, 2013)

NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface

Saturday’s games

SOFTBALL

Class 5A

Bi-district

Southwest (30-5) vs. Brandeis (20-8) at Villarreal Field No. 1, (best-of-three series, Southwest leads 1-0) (postponed to Monday at 6 p.m.; suspended with Southwest leading 10-3 in the sixth inning)

Class 4A

Bi-district

Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway (22-8) 2, Harlandale (14-11) 0 (Tuloso-Midway advances)

TAPPS Class 4A

Area

Holy Cross (24-13-2) 13, Houston Northland Christian 1 (Holy Cross advances)

Monday’s game

SOFTBALL

Class 5A

Bi-district

Southwest (30-5) vs. Brandeis (20-8) at Villarreal Field No. 1, 7 p.m. (best-of-three series, if necessary)

Friday’s games

SOFTBALL

Class 5A

Bi-district

Southwest (30-5) 8, Brandeis (20-8) 4 (best-of-three series, Southwest leads 1-0)

East Central (21-11) 7, Warren (15-12-2) 3 (East Central advances)

Class 4A

Bi-district

Lockhart (24-13) 7, Brackenridge (14-16-1) 0 at NEISD East Field, 6 p.m. (Lockhart advances)

Clemens (24-8) 6, Edison (14-16-2) 0 (Clemens advances)

Hays (26-4-1) 12, Jefferson (13-15) 0 (Hays advances)

SOUTH SIDE SOFTBALL PLAYOFF PICTURE (updated April 19, 2013)

SAN ANTONIO SOUTH SIDE SPORTS

Softball playoff picture

 These are the local teams that have qualified for the playoffs (in alphabetical order)

 POSTSEASON QUALIFIERS: Brackenridge (14-15-1, 8-4), East Central (20-11, 8-2), Edison (14-15-2, 10-2), Harlandale (13-10, 8-6), Holy Cross (21-12-2, 5-2), Jefferson (13-15, 7-5), Southwest (28-5, 8-2).

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Local baseball and softball results (April 18-20, 2013)

NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface

Saturday’s scores

BASEBALL

District 2-5A

Antonian 9, Central Catholic 5

SOFTBALL

TAPPS District 3-4A Tournament

Championship

Victoria St. Joseph 5, Holy Cross 1

Friday’s scores

SOFTBALL

District 28-4A

Brackenridge 14, Highlands 5

Burbank 9, Lanier 7

Edison 14, Jefferson 4

District 28-3A

Sam Houston at Poteet

District 29-4A

Harlandale 6, Southside 3

Medina Valley 7, Floresville 2

NOTE: Harlandale and Floresville tie for 3rd place

McCollum 12, Kennedy 2

Uvalde 15, Memorial 0

Non-district

Incarnate Word 11, East Central 2

BASEBALL

District 28-5A

Corpus Christi Carroll 5, Steele 3

South San 6, East Central 1

Southwest 3, Corpus Christi King 2

District 28-4A

Brennan 14, Edison 3

Burbank 6, Jefferson 5

Lanier 13, Brackenridge 11

District 28-3A

Sam Houston at Poteet

District 29-4A

Harlandale 8, Southside 4

McCollum 7, Kennedy 6

Medina Valley 10, Floresville 0

Uvalde 11, Memorial 1

Non-district

Antonian 18, Highlands 4

Local baseball and softball results (April 22-24, 2013)

NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface

Monday’s game

BASEBALL

TAPPS District 2-5A

Central Catholic 6, Austin St. Michael’s 4

Tuesday’s games

BASEBALL

District 29-4A

Harlandale at Uvalde, 6:30 p.m. (rescheduled for noon, April 27)

Southside at McCollum , 6:30 p.m. (rescheduled for noon, April 27)

Kennedy at Floresville, 6:30 p.m.  (rescheduled for noon, April 27)

BASEBALL: Already in playoffs, Harlandale aims for better seed after win over Southside

Burbank, Harlandale, McCollum all playoff-bound

By Mike Considine

Harlandale has already crossed the biggest goal for this season off its list. Now, the Indians are setting their sights a little higher.

After a two-year absence from the postseason, Harlandale (12-11, 8-4) guaranteed itself of an extended season Tuesday with a victory over Memorial. Far from being satisfied, the Indians battled for an 8-4 win over a determined Southside squad Friday at the Frank Tejeda Complex.

“It was a big relief,” Harlandale senior Michael Agis said of making the playoffs. “It made me feel like a freshman again. It was a big weight off our shoulders.

“We’re going to try to win out. If we can do that, we’ll be in second place by ourselves, and not have to play a higher seed in the playoffs.”

Burbank, Harlandale and McCollum are the only are teams that have clinched playoff berths heading into the final week of the season, although several local teams still have a chance to qualify.

The schedule is lining up for the Indians to have a chance to improve on its current district placing. The two wins this week tied Harlandale for third place with Uvalde (12-9-1, 8-4).

The Indians were originally scheduled to play at Uvalde next Tuesday, but that game had to be moved because of testing. They’ll finish the 29-4A season at the Coyotes’ field next Saturday at noon. Their next game will be against archrival and second-place McCollum (20-4, 9-3) 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Tejeda complex.

“We were very fortunate to clinch (the playoffs),” Harlandale coach Eric Forestier said. “I think this is the first time we’ve clinched that early since I’ve been here – seven years. We’re attacking each game like it’s a playoff game.

“We have to beat Uvalde, and then we’d be in third by ourselves. If we win out, we’ll be in second place by ourselves. If we lose both, we’ll be in fourth.”

Southside (7-18-1, 3-9) was officially eliminated from playoff consideration Tuesday. The Cardinals are part of a three-way tie for fifth in 29-4A, along with Kennedy (8-15, 3-9) and Floresville (8-17-1, 3-9).

“(Agis) is definitely the type of pitcher we want to work the count against,” Southside coach Fernando Garcia said. “For the most part, we were able to put the ball in play fairly well. We were being disciplined at the plate.”

Agis (8-1, 0.56 ERA) struck out 21 Cardinals batters in the Indians’ 3-2 win March 26 at Southside. So, he knew they’d be out for revenge Friday.

Then he was hit by a curve ball between the shoulders while batting in the first inning. Agis admitted that the injury affected his throwing during the game.

“I started off slow,” he said. “I got hit in the back, by the shoulder blade. The main thing is we got the win. It doesn’t matter how we got it.”

In the rematch, Agis struck out 10 – bringing his season total to 112 in 62 innings – while walking four. Two of the Cardinals’ runs were unearned, but they mustered nine hits to Harlandale’s seven.

“You can’t strike out everybody or pitch a no-hitter every game,” Forestier said. “We talked about how he needed to pitch. About how he needed to be a pitcher, not a thrower, and throw his breaking ball for strikes.

“I’m sure he was a little sore, but he was all right. He won’t pitch again until Thursday, against McCollum.”

The Cardinals reached Agis for four hits in the early going, but the game remained scoreless until Harlandale’s half of the fourth.

“It was a pretty good pitcher’s duel between Noe (Garza, Southside’s starter) and Agis,” Garcia said. “Noe, for us, was hitting his spots. He was changing things up and keeping them off-balance. He was in control for the portion he was in the game, and that was good to see for him.”

Agis (2-for-3) circled the bases with one out in the inning. He belted a triple that hugged the right-field line. The senior standout came home on the play when the relay throw was errant. Agis also collected the first of his three RBIs, as his hit brought home senior Jonathan Rodriguez, who had singled.

Southside threatened to score in its half of the fourth. Junior shortstop Ryan Cortez slammed a double and took third on a wild pitch. However, Agis got Southside’s third out on a pop up, stranding two runners.

“(Southside) had some crucial baserunning mistakes,” Forestier said, referring to the early innings. “We were able to capitalize on that.”

The lost offensive opportunity soon came back to haunt the Cardinals. Harlandale essentially won the game with six runs in its half of the fourth.

“We started executing a little better and putting the ball in play,” Forestier said. “We got key hits when we had men on base. It came down to execution.”

A Southside error, a sacrifice bunt from Harlandale designated hitter Zach Perez, a hit by Kinkaid Gonzales and a walk to junior Brandon Ramon opened the flood gates. The Indians had loaded the bases with one out. Rodriguez walked to force in a run ahead of Agis’ two-run single, which increased Harlandale’s lead to 5-0.

Senior Nick Martinez drove home two more runs with a base hit. Another Cardinals error made it 8-0.

“Without a doubt against Harlandale, you don’t want to give them any opportunities they can take advantage of,” Garcia said. “That was heads-up on their part. We had eliminated that, prior to that inning.

“But they’ll take advantage of things, just like we did in the seventh.”

Southside broke the ice in the fifth, after freshman Ryan Ramirez led off with a double. Jake Ramos drew a walk and Gabriel Botello brought home the run with a two-out single to center field.

Botello also sparked a Southside rally in the seventh.

He delivered a base hit and Christian Garza, who entered the game with a pinch-hit single in the fifth, walked. Second baseman Luis Salazar then sent a bases-clearing triple to the gap in left-center field, bringing the Cardinals within 8-3. Salazar scored on a grounder from Cortez before Agis was able to put out the fire.

In Harlandale’s win over Memorial Tuesday, Martinez limited the Minutemen to two hits and was the winning pitcher. Junior Rogelio Gutierrez led the offense with a 3-for-4 performance that included a double and six RBIs.

Richard Acosta, Gonzales, Martinez and Agis all contributed two hits. Gonzales, Martinez and Agis drove in runs as the Indians scored nine runs in the third inning and eight in the fourth.

“It’s just been hard work and executing,” Agis said of Harlandale’s growth to become a playoff team. “Getting the job done. We’ve done the little things, like getting bunts down and moving runners.”

Southside was coming off a tough, 5-3 loss to Kennedy Tuesday on its home field. The Rockets led 2-0 after an inning, but the Cardinals cut the lead in half in the fourth and won with a two-run rally in the fifth.

Kennedy regained the lead for good with three runs in the top of the sixth to make freshman Fabian Del Toro the winning pitcher for the second time this season versus the Cardinals.

Southside will close out its regular season with a 6:30 p.m. game against Floresville Thursday and a game against McCollum Saturday, which is tentatively scheduled for noon.

“What I talked about is, what they want to leave, for the baseball program and for themselves,” Garcia said. “For the seniors, especially, we want them to keep moving and stay focused. We want them to respect the game and show discipline. If they respect the game, they’ll finish strong, with no regrets and leave everything on the field.”

SOFTBALL: Harlandale takes third in 29-4A, to face Tuloso-Midway

Edison won’t share 28-4A title

Indians, Golden Bears among seven local playoff teams

By Mike Considine

It seems Harlandale was so focused on making the playoffs, the Indians didn’t realize that another, bigger achievement was sneaking up on them.

While the Indians (14-10, 8-6) secured their fifth-consecutive playoff appearance under coach Jennifer Bocanegra Friday at the Frank Tejeda Complex, they also accomplished something more. Harlandale’s 6-3 win over Southside (13-18, 5-9) enabled it to tie Floresville (11-19, 8-6) for third place in the district.

When the playoff push began, Harlandale was merely shooting for fourth place and the last available postseason slot in District 29-4A. At the time, the first three placings seemed securely hands of eventual champion Medina Valley (24-7, 14-0), Uvalde (17-9, 12-2) and Floresville.

Then the Jaguars hit an unforeseen skid. They lost to Uvalde Tuesday and to Medina Valley Friday, both by 7-2 scores. Meanwhile, the Indians extended their winning streak to three games following back-to-back losses to Medina Valley (April 5) and Floresville (April 9).

“We stumbled against Floresville,” Bocanegra said. “Then we had to hope McCollum stumbled. We had to hope and cross our fingers. Things had to happen, and they just fell into place.
“I told the girls we needed to take it one pitch at a time, and they did that very well.”

Harlandale was the seventh area team to qualify for the playoffs. Brackenridge (14-15-1), East Central (20-11), Edison (14-15-2), Holy Cross (22-13-2), Jefferson (13-15) and Southwest (29-5) had already qualified before Friday’s games began.

“We usually make the playoffs every year,” Indians senior left fielder Amanda Esparza said. “We had to keep going. We’ve had success and have certain set standards for the program. We wanted to maintain our reputation and our standards.

“We were going to keep playing hard, win or lose. It feels good to get in.”

In District 28-4A, Edison won an outright title Friday with a 14-4 victory over Jefferson, after clinching a share of first place with a win over Brennan Tuesday. Jefferson’s loss, coupled with Brackenridge’s 14-5 win over Highlands, settled the district’s playoff situation. Brackenridge finished third and the Mustangs took fourth.

East Central and Southwest each concluded district play Tuesday, finishing in a first-place tie in District 28-5A. Holy Cross fell 5-1 to Victoria St. Joseph (20-8) Saturday in the TAPPS 3-4A tournament championship game.

Both Southside and McCollum began the week with a chance to grab fourth place in 29-4A.

McCollum also won Friday, defeating Kennedy (7-20, 2-12) 12-2. However, the Cowboys lost 11-5 to Medina Valley Tuesday. At that point, their playoff hopes hinged on the outcome of the Southside-Harlandale game. They needed their archrival to lose.

The Cardinals were willing to hold up their end. Although Southside’s playoff hopes also officially ended Tuesday, it delivered a playoff-caliber performance against Harlandale during the Indians’ Senior Night.

Before Tuesday’s games, Southside needed to win its last two games while Harlandale and McCollum each absorbed two losses to finish in what would have been a three-way tie for fourth.

“We have a lot of seniors, and it’s really hard for them,” Southside coach Mike Alfaro said. “We’re as good as any team that’s going to the playoffs. It’s tough not to make it, but that’s the way it goes.”

After defeating Kennedy 3-2 Tuesday, the Cardinals jumped out to a 1-0 lead over Harlandale in the first inning.

Cardinals catcher Ashley Ramirez started off the game with a base hit. Ramirez advanced on a sacrifice bunt from April Rodriguez. With two outs, senior Gabby Geigenmiller walked and shortstop Regina Sanchez (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) followed with an RBI single.

Southside led 1-0 with one out in the bottom of the inning when Harlandale freshman catcher Brianna Heredia (3-for-4, 2 RBIs) collected the first of her three hits. Heredia was forced at second base on Brittany Gonzalez’s grounder. However, Gonzales scored the tying run on an error.

Harlandale gained the lead in the third inning. Winning pitcher Stephanie Lopez stated the inning by sending a drive over the second baseman’s head into right field. That brought up Heredia, who laced a triple that landed inches inside the left-field line. Ahead 2-1, Gonzalez got the Indians’ third run home with another grounder.

The eventual winning run came in the fourth when Sabrina Esparza was struck by a pitch and came around to score.

Trailing 4-1, Southside again showed its moxie.

Geigenmiller led off with a single. Sanchez then brought the Cardinals within 4-2 with an RBI triple. Herrera cut Southside’s deficit to a run, driving in Sanchez with a base hit.

Lopez escaped the threat without further damage. The senior induced three straight grounders to leave the bases stocked with Cardinals.

Heredia scored her second run of the day after drawing a walk in the fifth. Indians clean-up hitter Jackie Espinoza produced a key base hit as Harlandale’s lead grew to 5-3.

Southside’s Sanchez ranged from her shortstop position to make a diving stop on Amanda Esparza’s grounder headed up the middle of the diamond. Despite the outstanding play, Esparza beat out the infield single. She scored the Indians’ last run of the regular season on Heredia’s soaring double to center field.

Southside finished in sixth place in 29-4A.

Harlandale blanked Floresville 6-0 Saturday in the third-place tiebreaker. The Indians will play Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway (21-8) 7 p.m. this Saturday at the Northside ISD Field No. 1.

FOR A FULL STORY ON SOUTHSIDE VS. HARLANDALE softball (April 19, 2013 @ Frank Tejeda Complex), click here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Harlandale-softball-team-shoots-past-Southside-4453963.php

Local baseball and softball results (April 19-20, 2013)

NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface

Saturday’s scores

BASEBALL

District 28-5A

Antonian 9,  Central Catholic 5

SOFTBALL

TAPPS District 3-4A Tournament

Championship

Victoria St. Joseph 5, Holy Cross 1

Friday’s scores

SOFTBALL

District 28-4A

Brackenridge 14, Highlands 5

Burbank 9, Lanier 7

Edison 14, Jefferson 4

District 28-3A

Sam Houston at Poteet

District 29-4A

Harlandale 6, Southside 3

Medina Valley 7, Floresville 2

NOTE: Harlandale and Floresville tie for 3rd place

McCollum 12, Kennedy 2

Uvalde 15, Memorial 0

Non-district

Incarnate Word 11, East Central 2

BASEBALL

District 28-5A

Corpus Christi Carroll 5, Steele 3

South San 6, East Central 1

Southwest 3, Corpus Christi King 2

District 28-4A

Brennan 14, Edison 3

Burbank 6, Jefferson 5

Lanier 13, Brackenridge 11

District 28-3A

Sam Houston at Poteet

District 29-4A

Harlandale 8,  Southside 4

McCollum 7, Kennedy 6

Medina Valley 10, Floresville 0

Uvalde 11, Memorial 1

Non-district

Antonian 18, Highlands 4

SOFTBALL: Edison edges Brennan in 28-4A on magical day

By Mike Considine

On a day meant for reflection, Edison extended the legacy of its former coach while adding another chapter to its recent history.

In District 28-4A, Edison (13-15-2, 9-2) knocked Brennan (15-11, 9-3) out of first place Tuesday with a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning. The outburst allowed the Golden Bears (not to be confused with Brennan’s Bears) to snare an 11-10 victory at Mary Ann Villarreal Field No. 1.

The win was especially meaningful as it was the first annual Pitch For the Cure game to benefit breast cancer and raise awareness of the disease research. Former Edison coach Villarreal died of breast cancer in 2010.

The loss completed Brennan’s district season, so Edison is assured of at least a tie for first place for the second-straight year under coach Aimee Silva. The Golden Bears can win an outright title with a victory over Jefferson (13-14-1, 7-4) 7:15 p.m. Friday at Villarreal Field No. 2.

“(The girls) worked really hard every day,” Silva said.

The Golden Bears won their third-consecutive game and seventh district win in a row, since losing back-to-back games March 13 and 14.

Edison’s Celeste Vela was the winning pitcher in a game of momentum swings. The Golden Bears rode their first-place showdown adrenaline to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. They added two more runs in the second to counter a run from Brennan.

The Bears then caught a wave of their own. A four-run third helped Brennan build a 10-6 lead by its half of the sixth.

Edison was within two runs when the inning ended, helping it to secure the win with another offensive infusion in its last at-bat.

“I think they just gave themselves the opportunity to get in position to score,” Silva said.

In typical Golden Bears style, they put the ball in play and capitalized on the outcome.

With bases loaded and none out in the seventh, No. 9 hitter Mari Quinones hit into a force play. Brennan got the lead runner out at the plate, but an errant return throw to third base put Edison within 10-8. Brittany Salinas scored on the play.

With Quinones at second base and April Escobedo at third, Vela smacked a two-run single that gave Edison the walkoff win as well as made herself the winning pitcher.

“We had been struggling at the bottom of the lineup,” Silva said. “It ended up that our No. 9 hitter came through that inning. When we got to the top of the lineup, I knew we’d score some runs.”

It was the fourth straight year that Edison has either won or shared the district championship. The streak extends to Villarreal’s last Golden Bears team in 2010.

SOFTBALL: East Central, Southwest share first in 28-5A

EC rides Strunk no-hitter to share of first title in nearly a decade, while Southwest slams Steele for fourth in row

By Mike Considine

For a team that hadn’t won a district title in possibly a decade, East Central surely did it in style.

From sophomore pitcher Madison Strunk’s first career no-hitter to the postgame Gatorade shower with a Silly String topping, the Hornets (20-10, 8-2) put their stamp on the occasion. Undoubtedly, there was plenty for the team to celebrate.

“That was more than a senior game,” Hornets senior left fielder Stacia Lamey said, referring to the pregame Senior Night ceremony. “This was everybody going for a district championship. We started strong and we wanted to finish strong.”

East Central’s 5-0 victory over Corpus Christi King (21-11, 5-5) Tuesday on its home field enabled the Hornets to clinch a first-place tie with Southwest (29-5, 8-2) on the final day of the District 28-5A season. The Dragons also held on to their share to first for a fourth-consecutive championship, blasting Steele (17-12, 5-5) 11-2 at Southwest.

“I’m not sure,” fourth-year East Central coach Bryan Waller said, referring to the Hornets’ previous district title, “but I would say it’s a good 8-10 years.”

Southwest is No. 4 in the Express-News area rankings. East Central is No. 9.

For East Central, claiming a share of the 28-5A title was the culmination of a four-year progression for the Hornets’ seniors. Five years ago, when they were in eighth grade, East Central didn’t win a district game. Now they’re in the playoffs for the third-straight season.

The Hornets will be the district’s No. 1 seed ahead of Southwest because they defeated the Dragons in both head-to-head meetings this year.

“My main joy is to see the development that each class of seniors has been able to produce,” Waller said. “This year’s seniors have developed and became leaders, just like last year’s seniors did and the seniors did when they were sophomores.

“Each successive class has striven to get better, to make us district champs. It’s gone step by step.”

Strunk picked up where she left off last Friday at South San. The sophomore allowed just one hit in that outing.

The Mustangs had seven baserunners and three moved into scoring position as a result of two of the Hornets’ three errors. Strunk walked two and struck out three.

“I’ve had a lot of shutouts, but this is my first no-hitter,” she said. “I could have had a no-hitter last game against South San. But I focus on my pitches, rather than how many hits they have. I let my defense work, rather than trying for strikeouts.”

Strunk retired 10 Mustangs batters in a row, beginning with the Hornets’ double play that ended the third inning. Sophomore third baseman Haydi Bugarin speared a grounder, threw home for catcher Hailey Miller to force out a potential run and Miller sent her throw to first baseman Taylor Doege in time to beat the batter.

The streak continued until Dominique Salinas was safe on an error, trying to bunt her way on to lead off the seventh.

“I go at it pitch-by-pitch,” Strunk explained. “I don’t think too far ahead. If you win every inning, you’re going to win the game.”

Strunk induced a line out to second base that froze Salinas at first, and East Central finished off King with their second double play of the game from shortstop Alexis Macias to second baseman Hailey Reynolds to Doege.

Doege pitched a no-hitter against Reagan in a 16-0 win Feb. 26.

“This is Madison’s first no-hitter, but she was close to a perfect game against South San,” Waller said. “Now her and Taylor have both pitched no-hitters this year.”

East Central, which won its sixth-consecutive game, didn’t break the ice until the third inning. With the Hornets and Mustangs locked in a scoreless tie, there was some anxiousness among the Hornets’ ranks until senior leadoff hitter Kirsten Wiatrek drew a walk, stole second and scored on Bugarin’s double.

“It was very close,” said Lamey, who finished 3-for-3 at the plate with 3 RBIs. “We were just waiting for somebody to score. It was a lot more nerve-wracking that way.”

Bugarin (1-for-2, RBI) took third on the throw to the plate and came in on a passed ball for a 2-0 lead.

“We started out playing strong defense,” Waller said. “We were a little slow in getting runs, but then we had that big rally in the third. That took a little bit of pressure off Madison, and we continued to play strong defense behind her.”

Doege and Strunk re-stocked the bases for East Central with consecutive singles. Each advanced on Macias’ sacrifice bunt. That brought up Lamey, who lifted a two-run single to right field that gave Strunk a more than ample four-run cushion to work with.

“Scoring those runs just hyped us up,” Strunk said, “but we knew, just because we had the lead, (King) wasn’t going to give up. We had to keep it going.”

Maintaining and expanding leads is a topic that has been addressed during East Central’s pep talks.

“When we got ahead 3-0, we’d starting shutting down,” Lamey said. “That’s been our main focus this year, to keep coming at (opponents). That had always been our problem in the past.”

Lamey, who doubled in the second inning, also had a hand in the Hornets’ next run. Reynolds drove a long double into the left-center field gap with one out in the fifth. The senior followed, right on cue, with a base hit to center that increased the Hornets’ lead to 5-0.

The Hornets’ fifth run didn’t merely guarantee that the East Central coach soon would be covered in Gatorade and Silly String. It, fittingly, enabled Waller to sub in seniors Laura Borrego, Courtney Strzelczyk and Michaela Valdez for pinch-hit at-bats in the sixth inning.

“This senior class is a very fun one to be around,” Waller said. “They’re friends on and off the field. I know they’ll stay in touch after graduation.”

The closest King came to a hit was a deep line drive with one out in the sixth inning. Lamey was in position to snare the shot in the webbing of her glove, preventing an extra-base hit.

“We’ve had a lot of pep talks this year,” Lamey said. “Coach Waller told us a few games ago that we had to win every game (to finish first), and now we’ve done that. When you have a pitcher like Madison, it gives you a lot of confidence.”

The Hornets will face Warren (15-11-2), which finished fourth in District 27-5A, in the bi-district round. Details will be decided later.

“It was big, because of Senior Night and because we were playing for the district title,” Strunk said. “We were playing not just for the seniors, but to (gain momentum) to go on into the playoffs.”

Southwest

The Dragons wasted no time in establishing their dominance against Steele. They struck for three runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Southwest had an even bigger knockout punch waiting. The Dragons erupted for eight runs in the fourth to squelch the Knights’ hopes for an upset that would have assured them the No. 3 seed in 28-5A. Steele tied King for third.

Steele scored both of its runs in the fifth, with help from a home run by Nala Quevido. Southwest junior pitcher Kamarie Vidales limited the Knights to four hits. The Dragons amassed nine.

Southwest will draw either Brandeis (20-6) or Holmes (19-9) in the bi-district round. The 27-5A teams are currently tied for third place.

Local baseball and softball scores (April 15-17, 2013)

NOTE: teams we cover are in boldface

Wednesday’s scores

BASEBALL

District 28-4A

Brennan 6, Highlands 0

TAPPS 2-5A

St. Anthony at  Central Catholic

Tuesday’s scores

SOFTBALL

District 28-5A

East Central 5, Corpus Christi King 0 (EC: Madison Strunk no-hitter)

Southwest 11, Steele 2

NOTE: East Central and Southwest tied for first place

Corpus Christi Carroll 15, South San 3

District 28-4A

Brackenridge 11, Lanier 0

Edison 11, Brennan 10 (Ed.: 3-run rally in bottom 7th clinches share of 1st)

Jefferson 17, Burbank 6

District 29-4A

Harlandale 24, Memorial 5

Medina Valley 11, McCollum 5

Southside 3, Kennedy 2

Uvalde 7, Floresville 2

District 28-3A

LaVernia 17, Sam Houston 0

TAPPS District 3-4A Tournament

Holy Cross 12, Austin St. Dominic Savio 2

BASEBALL

District 28-5A

Steele 18, East Central 0

Corpus Christi King 5, South San 4

District 28-4A

Brackenridge 10, Jefferson 9 (Brack winning run in top 6th)

Burbank 5, Edison 4

District 29-4A

Harlandale 18, Memorial 0

Kennedy 5, Southside 3

Medina Valley 13, McCollum 0

Uvalde 9, Floresville 2

District 28-3A

LaVernia 14, Sam Houston 0

Monday’s scores

SOFTBALL

Non-district

MacArthur 15, Highlands 0

BASEBALL

District 28-5A

Corpus Christi Carroll 10, Southwest 2

SOFTBALL ROUNDUP (through April 6, 2013)

THIS STORY CONTAINS INFO ABOUT: East Central, Southwest, Harlandale, Holy Cross, Jefferson and Southside (in order)

FOR A FULL STORY ON HARLANDALE VS. McCOLLUM baseball (April 4, 2013 @ Frank Tejeda Complex), click on this link:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Harlandale-boys-beat-McCollum-4418515.php

FOR INFO ABOUT: Harlandale, Brackenridge and Southside, click on this link:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/High-School-SPORTS-ROUNDUP-4418528.php

East Central/Southwest

Most senior groups want to leave their mark. East Central’s want to lift the program up in the process, as the team t-shirt indicates. On the back side, it reads “Take a stand. Leave a legacy.”

“The seniors are proud of our success. Most of us have been on varsity all four years,” East Central senior center fielder Kristen Wiatrek said. “It was our idea to put that slogan on the t-shirts. This is our last chance to make our mark on our team.”

Last Saturday at Southwest, East Central (17-10, 5-2) was covered in prestige. The Hornets defeated the Dragons (26-5, 5-2) for the second time this season after recording a 5-2 victory and becoming just the third road team in 20 games to win at Southwest.

The Hornets’ win tied East Central and Southwest, No. 3 in the Express-News area rankings, for first place in District 28-5A.

“We lost to (South San last week) and that was a big blow,” said Wiatrek, who ranks No. 1 in East Central’s senior class and is the likely valedictorian, according to Waller. “We practiced at 100 percent this week. Every practice and every game, we came amped. We were so ready for this game.”

East Central put pressure on Southwest from the outset, scoring two runs in the first inning before the Dragons had a chance to bat. Sophomore Haydi Bugarin and junior Taylor Doege drew walks to spark the rally. Bugarin scored on a passed ball. Winning pitcher Madison Strunk drove in Doege with a single.

“Our seniors came up with a couple of big hits,” East Central coach Bryan Waller said. “Last year, we had trouble coming up with the big hits when we needed them. This year, we’ve gotten the big ones..”

Southwest scored in the second when junior first baseman-pitcher Kamarie Vidales leadoff with a walk, stole second base and took third on a passed ball. Starting pitcher Caitlin Terrazas reduced the Dragons’ deficit to 2-1.

The Dragons didn’t score again until the fifth against Strunk. The sophomore limited Southwest’s explosive batting order to four hits while walking three and striking out five. Most importantly, the Dragons’ biggest bats were largely silent against her.

Vidales, senior Miranda Medina and junior Elizabeth Phillips were a combined 1-for-8.

“Madison kept them off-balance,” Waller said. “We had a game plan and she did an excellent job of executing that game plan. You’re not going to get a lot of strikeouts against them, but I thought we played phenomenal defense.”

A running catch by Phillips in the left-center field gap left the bases loaded for East Central in the third, but the Hornets broke through with three runs in the fourth.

With one out, Stacia Lamey reached base with a walk and Wiatrek dribbled a slap hit through the infield, up the middle. Bugarin followed with a drive over the left-fielder’s head for a 4-1 advantage. With Doege up, Bugarin scored on a 2-1 wild pitch and the Hornets had a three-run advantage.

“We were sure they’d come out wanting revenge,” Wiatrek said. “We’d never beaten them during my time on varsity until two weeks ago. They’re a really good team, and we knew we had to come out ready. They took advantage of our mistakes, and we took advantage of theirs.”

Leading off the sixth, Krystal Salinas’ single got by the right fielder for a two-base error. Medina hit a comebacker to the mound to score Salinas from third base. Southwest trailed 5-2 after six innings.

“We only had four hits versus the 10, 11 or 12 we normally get,” Southwest coach Sandra Hernandez said. “We usually score a lot more runs. Maybe we wanted it too much.”

Vidales kept East Central scoreless over the last 3 2/3 innings as a relief pitcher.

In the seventh, the Dragons had the kindling for a two-out rally. Destinee Gonzalez worked a 3-2 walk and advanced on a wild pitch and a gutsy stolen base. However, Strunk ended the game with a strikeout on a full-count pitch.

“Maybe one more hit or one less walk or error would have made a difference,” Hernandez said. “But it is what it is.”

Strunk pitched the Hornets to a 5-1 win over Corpus Christi Carroll (13-18, 2-5) last Friday at East Central, allowing just four hits. Strunk and Chelsea Taylor, playing her first varsity game, each hit home runs. Strunk’s was her fourth of the season.

“We had good pitching and good defense,” Waller said. “We played well in every aspect of the game. This was two games without an error..”

The two wins give East Cenral a tiebreaker advantage if it comes into play in determining 28-5A playoff spots.

“It’s very big to have that,” Waller said. “I hope not to have it come down to that, but it’s good to have.”

Southwest blasted South San (9-16-1, 1-6) 14-1 last Friday at the Bobcats’ field. Vidales pitched a three-hitter and went three-for-three at the plate, including a home run to left field in the third inning.

The Dragons took the lead with four runs in the first inning. Salinas, Medina and Vidales reached base on two walks and a hit batsman. Yanica Fernandez followed with a single that started the offense rolling.

“Looking on the bright side of this game,” Hernandez said, “we’ve got plenty of games ahead of us. We learn from every one of these games. If we make a mistake, hopefully, we don’t make it again.

“Everybody gets each other in our district. East Central has gotten two on us now. South San beat them. King beat Steele. It’s going to be tough to figure out first, second and third. We’re not going to know until the last game of district is over.”

Harlandale

On Medina Valley’s two home runs in a 6-2 win over Harlandale last Friday at the Frank Tejeda Complex.

“They have three or four girls who can hit the ball out of the park,” Harlandale coach Jennifer Bocanegra said. “That’s what they did. Those two two-run home runs were big for them. One (Muennink’s) was on a changeup, and she just hit it right. With Parrish, we tried to keep it away from her.

“I have to give respect to Medina Valley. They’re a really good hitting team. They have been for years.”

Medina Valley finished with six hits while Harlandale mustered four against winning pitcher Tina Lopez. Senior Stephanie Lopez pitched for the Indians.

“Our girls battled,” Bocanegra said. “They’ve been hitting the ball really well. They’ve been very, very patient. It’s just that too many balls got up in the air or were hit right at someone. We only had three strikeouts the whole game.”

Harlandale scored both of its runs in the second inning. Jackie Espinoza delivered a leadoff single. Sisters Brittany and Brianna Gonzalez followed with run-scoring doubles.

“Our seniors have done a really good job of leading the program,” Bocanegra said. “They’ve kept us on our toes and not let us get caught off-balance. Now we’ ve got to win out (to make the playoffs).”

Holy Cross

The Knights (19-12-2, 4-2) won two of three games in a busy five-day span last week.

Holy Cross began the week with a 3-1 loss at Victoria St. Joseph April 2 in a TAPPS District 3-4A game, although Knights pitcher Julia Ibarra held the host team to four hits. Holy Cross then defeated St.. Anthony 10-0 last Thursday in a non-district game and San Antonio Christian 10-0 last Saturday in a TAPPS 3-4A contest. Both games were played at Holy Cross.

The Knights had five hits against Victoria St. Joseph.

Against St. Anthony, the Yellowjackets (8-9) rolled to a 3-0 lead in the first two innings. Holy Cross was able to tie it in the bottom of the second and never stopped scoring. Knights pitcher Marisa Hernandez limited St. Anthony to five hits.

Hernandez pitched a two-hit shutout against San Antonio Christian. Holy Cross manufactured 11 hits in the win. The Knights scored in each of the game’s five innings, including a four-run rally in the fourth.

Jefferson

The Mustangs (12-13-1, 6-3) moved into third place in District 28-4A with a 10-0 win over Highlands (7-16, 2-6) last Friday at Mary Ann Villarreal Complex Field No. 3. Further details about the game were unavailable at presstime.

Southside

The sixth-place Cardinals (12-15, 4-6) stayed in the hunt for the final playoff spot in District 29-4A with a 21-13 win over Memorial (3-19, 0-10) last Friday at Tiger Field.

Southside (12-15, 4-6) amassed 12 hits in a 21-13 win over Memorial (3-19, 0-10) last Friday at Tiger Field, while the Minutemen had seven. Already holding a 1-0 lead, the Cardinals erupted for 11 runs in the second. They added five runs in the third, but Memorial escaped the 10-run rule with a four-run rally in its half of the second and a three-run output in the third. D’Anna Trevino was the winning pitcher for Southside.

BASEBALL ROUNDUP (through April 6, 2013)

THIS STORY CONTAINS INFO ABOUT: Harlandale, McCollum, South San, Memorial, Jefferson and Edison (in order)

FOR A FULL STORY ON HARLANDALE VS. McCOLLUM baseball (April 4, 2013 @ Frank Tejeda Complex), click on this link:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Harlandale-boys-beat-McCollum-4418515.php

FOR INFO ABOUT: South San and Burbank, click on this link:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/High-School-SPORTS-ROUNDUP-4418528.php

Harlandale

The Indians only managed three hits against Medina Valley pitcher Jonathan Groff, but two of them came in on Jonathan Rodriguez’s fifth-inning single to pull Harlandale within 10 runs.

“We were lucky to get two runs,” Harlandale coach Eric Forestier said. “I’m glad we were able to score there at the end. There was a lot of difference from last night. I tell them to play the same way every day. We did great last night, but we needed to come out the same way tonight.”

Groff (7-1) walked three, hit a batsman and struck out seven in the win.

“Groff is always in command of his pitches,” Forestier said. “He’s very consistent. He gets strikes and gets ahead in the count. That’s the way he pitches. He’s a great pitcher and player – he hurt us with his bat, too.”

Medina Valley (19-2, 8-0), No. 4 in the Express-News area rankings, took a 1-0 lead in the second on Trevor Moretich’s sacrifice fly. The Panthers batted around in the third, scoring nine runs on eight hits to limit Harlandale’s comeback hopes. Groff supplied the big hits in the inning, a three-run home run and a two-run single.

For Harlandale, Kinkaid Gonzales was struck by a pitch leading off the fifth. With one out, the Panthers tried for a force play but didn’t get either runner, setting the stage for Rodriguez’s hit.

Michael Agis tried to extend the game with a base hit, but Groff started a game-ending double play on the next at-bat, leaving Harlandale susceptible to the 10-run rule.

McCollum

Senior Jonathan Arevalo pitched the Cowboys to victory in Floresville, allowing just one run while throwing a complete game.

“Jonathan threw a great ballgame,” Garza said. “He made some great pitches and we played great defense behind him. We only made one error. It was a total defensive effort on our part.”

Dominik Ortiz produced the winning hit. The junior slammed a two-run single in the sixth that wiped out a 1-0 Tigers lead and accounted for all of McCollum’s scoring.

“We struggled offensively,” Garza said, “but we got that clutch hit.”

The Cowboys are about to embark on a tough three-game stretch. They were scheduled to face red-hot Memorial Tuesday at home and make the long road trip to Uvalde Friday. After that, McCollum returns home to face Medina Valley next Tuesday at Tejeda.

“Memorial is riding high right now and then we have that big trip to Uvalde,” Garza said. “You’ve got to show up every game in our district. It’ll be nice to get back home. We’ve had a good following all year. We’ve had the whole community behind us.”

South San

The Bobcats defeated East Central (11-8, 1-4) 10-1 last Friday on the Hornets’ field. The visitors manufactured 11 hits while South San senior pitcher Joseph Valle scattered seven East Central hits, including a home run from Ryan Ramos.

Valle gave up the home run in the second inning and East Central led 1-0. The Bobcats tied it 1-1 in the third and they produced seven runs in the next two frames.

South San’s Adam Rodriguez and Gallegos each amassed three hits and two RBIs. Rodriguez hit two doubles and Gallegos one. Nick Herrera also doubled. Valle (2-for-4) and Bosmans drove in runs.

Memorial

Not content with a victory over their archrival, the Minutemen (2-16, 2-6) pulled off their first two wins of the season last week. Even more impressively, Memorial pulled out a pair of one-run wins over Kennedy (7-12, 2-6) and Southside (7-14, 3-5) at Edgewood Field.

The Minutemen prevailed 2-1 over Kennedy last Thursday at the field they share.

Memorial junior Ivan DeAnda won the pitcher’s duel over Rockets junior Isaiah Garcia. DeAnda limited Kennedy to two hits. Garcia held the Minutemen to three hits.

The Minutemen made single runs in the second and third innings hold up as Kennedy scored in the sixth.

Last Friday, Memorial edged the Southside 4-3. The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the first four innings and added another run in the top of the sixth. The Minutemen assembled a three-run rally to tie it in the bottom of the sixth. The winning run was scored in the seventh.

Jonathan Garza scattered five hits to earn the win for Memorial. Southside’s Luis Salazar took the loss despite limiting Memorial to four hits.

The Cardinals finished the week in fifth place. Memorial and Kennedy shared sixth.

Jefferson

Little more than a week after upsetting third-place Edison (11-10, 5-3), the Mustangs (6-12, 3-5) defeated Lanier 9-4 last Friday at SAISD Field No. 1 to tie the Voks (7-12, 3-5) for fourth place in District 28-4A.

Mustangs senior Nate DeHoyos (3-for-5) had a monsterous game against Lanier. DeHoyos drove in six runs while bashing two doubles and a triples. Cesar Garza was 4-for-5 with two stolen bases. Michael Garcia (2-for-4) and Greg Gonzales (2-for-5) also were key hitters for Jefferson.

Jefferson also received a strong pitching performance from Nicholas Flores, who limited the Voks to two hits and two earned runs. Flores struck out three.

The Mustangs scored two runs in each of the first two innings to build a 4-2 lead. Lanier pulled within 4-3 in the third. Jefferson responded with a three-run rally in the fourth.

Edison

The Golden Bears held off Highlands (4-15, 2-6) for a 9-7 win last Friday at SAISD Field No. 1.

Edison senior Seth Henry hit a home run. Classmate Zach Garcia was the winning pitcher.

Juan Diaz led the Owls with a 3-for-3 plate performance. All three hits were doubles. Steven Martinez (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) and Richard Gonzalez (2-for-5, RBI) also shone for Highlands.

SOUTH SIDE BASEBALL PLAYOFF PICTURE (updated April 27, 2013)

Baseball playoff picture

These are the local teams that have qualified for the playoffs (in alphabetical order):

QUALIFIERS: Burbank (12-14, 9-3), Central Catholic (22-8-1), Edison (14-12, 7-5), Harlandale (13-12, 8-5), Highlands (8-17, 5-7), McCollum (22-4, 10-3), South San (16-13-1, 5-5).

SOUTH SIDE SOFTBALL PLAYOFF PICTURE (updated April 19, 2013)

Softball playoff picture

 These are the local teams that have qualified for the playoffs (in alphabetical order)

 POSTSEASON QUALIFIERS: Brackenridge (14-15-1, 8-4), East Central (20-11, 8-2), Edison (14-15-2, 10-2), Harlandale (13-10, 8-6), Holy Cross (21-12-2, 5-2), Jefferson (13-15, 7-5), Southwest (28-5, 8-2).

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