THIS STORY CONTAINS INFO ABOUT: Highlands, Lanier, Central Catholic, Edison and Holy Cross (in order)

FOR A FULL STORY ON BURBANK VS. BRENNAN (April 12, 2013 @ SAISD Field No. 1), click here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Burbank-boys-fall-to-Brennan-9-6-4435759.php

FOR INFO ABOUT: McCollum, Harlandale and East Central, click here: http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/High-school-sports-round-up-4435787.php

Highlands/Lanier

Highlands (13-8, 4-6) brought Lanier’s momentum from the win over Brennan to a halt with a 6-5 victory last Friday at SAISD Field No. 2.

“We had the bases loaded and two outs,” Perez said, “Matt Bailey had two strikes on him, but he drove a two-run single up the middle. We won in the sixth on an RBI double from Maurice Devora, followed by a second double from Gustavo Castro.”

The win was crucial to Highlands’ playoff hopes. It enabled the Owls to tie Lanier for fourth place in 28-4A, which represents the final playoff spot.

“It was huge,” Perez said. “It was super. I told the boys all week long, we beat Jefferson (April 9) but this game was going to be brutal. We’re just like (Lanier is).

“For six years (in Class 5A), we had no chance to make the playoffs. Now we get to play for a chance to go to the playoffs, and that’s wonderful.”

The loss wasn’t the downer for the Voks that one might expect.

“Like I told the guys, they played great against Brennan and (Highlands) played great today,” Sanchez said. “I told the guys to be proud. A loss is not going to kill us. We’re not out of it. They got one more run than you did.

“My coaches and I expected us to come out and compete hard today, and the boys didn’t disappoint. They came out and battled. Highlands played a great game and their pitcher, Jordan DeLuna, did, too.”

Daniel Castano, Hector DeHoyos and Jesse Torres all had two hits for the Voks. Devora was two-for-three with three RBIs.

“Most of the time, our top of the lineup gets the majority of hits,” Perez said, “but today we have five RBIs from the bottom of our lineup.”

Against Brennan, the Bears scored more steadily but Lanier did more damage in two innings. The Voks scored six runs in the second and four in the sixth to claim a 10-4 lead, then held off Brennan down the stretch. DeHoyos smacked a triple and drove in four runs for Lanier. Castano had three hits. Nicholas Mojica (RBI), Torres and Jalen Rodriguez each accounted for two of the Voks’ nine hits. Jesus Esquivel and Jeremiah Esquivel both drove in runs.

“Things have evened out,” Sanchez said. “There’s no dominating team like there used to be. Anybody can beat anybody..”

Highlands defeated Jefferson (6-14, 3-6) 5-4 April 9 at SAISD Field No. 2. The Owl’s Steven Martinez was the winning pitcher and drove in three runs as a hitter. Cesar Carranza drove in three runs for the Mustangs.

Central Catholic

The Buttons (20-7-1, 4-3) got off to a rough start last week, but finished it with a pair of resounding wins.

Central Catholic, fourth in TAPPS District 2-5A, lost a district heartbreaker 5-4 April 8 at first-place Corpus Christi John Paul (18-10, 5-1). However, the Buttons went on to blast district rival Laredo St. Augustine 20-1 April 10 and Jefferson 10-0 in a non-district game last Friday.

“We’re still in the hunt,” Central Catholic coach Mike Gomez said of the district race. “Everybody has at least one loss and not everybody has played every team. I’m not worried about where we are. We just need to keep pushing.”

A three-run triple from senior leadoff hitter LaShawn Thomas was the big hit for Central Catholic against St. Augustine, as part of an 11-run second inning. Sam Perez was three-for-three with two RBIs. Nick Casas contributed a double and an RBI single. Senior standout Oscar Sepulveda delivered two hits, including a two-run double in the second.

Substitute Zach Arambula (two-run double) and starting pitcher Adam Trevino (RBI single) also had big hits.

Central Catholic produced ample offense throughout the lineup, but the last four batters in the order stood out. They combined to score 11 runs.

“The bottom half of our order hasn’t done that,” Gomez said. “We put more pressure on them with our at-bats. We just hope to keep moving forward.”

The Buttons blanked Jefferson at Kahlig Field. The Mustangs mustered just three singles, from Nicholas Flores, Cesar Garza and Greg Gonzales.

“The team is in a good spot,” Gomez said. “We’ve kind of settled on a lineup and we’re relying on some kids to do some things.”

Against John Paul, the Buttons led 4-2 in the bottom of the third, when the host team’s Robert Molina hit a two-run home run. John Paul scored the winning run in the bottom of the fifth.

“We had a squeeze play on and laid down the bunt, but the runner on third didn’t run,” Gomez said. “We had a 40-mph wind, and one of their guys popped it up in the air for a two-run home run.”

Edison

The Golden Bears (14-10, 6-3) gained a share of second place in 28-4A, alongside Burbank, with a 14-4 win over Brackenridge (7-16, 1-8) last Friday at SAISD Field No. 1.

The hard-luck Eagles, who had been coming out on the short end of close games recently, had the misfortune of catching Edison on a stellar night. Most of the damage was done early, by both teams.

Edison scored six runs in the top of the first inning and eight more in the second. Brackenridge survived the first salvo, manufacturing three runs in the bottom of the first, but couldn’t weather the second. The Eagles scored the five-inning game’s last run in the bottom of the second as Bears ace Zach Garcia kept them in check.

Joe Martinez (RBI), Mario Roldan and Brayan Guerrero (RBI) all were 2-for-3. Tristen Cortinas also drove in a run. Individual Edison stats were unavailable.

Edison also edged Lee 7-6 April 9 in a non-district game at SAISD Field No. 1. The Golden Bears again scored the bulk of their runs early, including a four-run second inning that put them ahead 5-0.

Holy Cross

The Knights (12-12, 4-4) split a pair of games with Texas Military Institute last week in TAPPS 3-4A action.

They prevailed 6-5 last Thursday at Holy Cross. TMI edged Holy Cross 9-8 in the rematch two days later with TMI (14-5, 5-3) the host team in the district tournament.

Earlier in the week, Austin Hyde Park nipped Holy Cross 2-1. April 9 in Austin. Holy Cross sophomore pitcher Jesse Martinez limited Hyde Park to three hits despite the loss. The home team scored both of its runs in the first inning. The Knights scored their run in the sixth.

Sophomore Steve Villela hit a home run as part of the Knights’ six-run second inning last Thursday. Holy Cross senior pitcher Wyatt Trinidad allowed five hits.

In last Saturday’s game, Holy Cross trailed 1-0 before pushing across four runs in the top of the third. TMI forged ahead 6-4, but the Knights tied it 6-6 in the sixth and took an 8-7 lead in the top of the seventh. The Panthers won with two runs in the bottom of the seventh.