Hornets’ Strunk quiets Edison’s bats; Owls keep offense soaring in win over Jefferson

TEAMS INCLUDED: Brackenridge, Burbank, East Central, Edison, Highlands, Jefferson, McCollum, Memoriai, Southside.

McCollum (8-3, 3-0) emerged undefeated from a battle featuring two of the three teams tied for first place in District 29-4A Friday in Floresville.

The Cowboys remained in a first-place tie with Medina Valley (18-2, 3-0) after edging the host Jaguars (8-9, 2-1) 3-2.

Further game details were unavailable.

East Central 4, Edison 0

East Central (15-3) bounced back from a loss to Judson in the championship game of the Seguin Tournament to defeat Edison (3-10) 4-0 at Mary Ann Villarreal Field No. 3 Friday in a non-district game.

Hornets junior Madison Strunk limited the Golden Bears to one hit, silencing bats that had accounted for 17 runs in their previous outing. Strunk improved her record to 8-3.

East Central scored single runs in the first and third innings. The Hornets increased their lead to four runs by scoring two in the sixth.

Highlands 16, Jefferson 8

The fortunes of the Owls (4-6-1, 2-1) and Jefferson (5-6, 1-2) reversed themselves over a 72-hour period.

Last Tuesday, Highlands scored 15 runs in another District 28-4A game at the Villarreal softball complex, but came away with a loss. On a nearby field, Jefferson rolled to a 19-2 win over Lanier.

On Friday at diamond No. 2, Highlands improved on its offensive total and limited its opponent to less than half of Edison’s score (17) to collect the district win.

Highlands struck for six runs in the top of the first inning. The Mustangs scored two runs before the Owls rallied for five more in the top of the third. Jefferson had closed the gap to 13-5 after five innings, but both teams scored three runs in the sixth.

Brackenridge 17, Burbank 2 (4 innings)

The Eagles (9-5-1, 1-1) torched rival Burbank (2-9-1, 0-2) Friday at Villarreal Field No. 1.

“We’ll see where we are after we play Edison (Monday) and Jefferson Wednesday,” Brackenridge coach Robyn Murken said. “That’s going to determine a lot for us.”

Brackenridge hammered 11 hits, led by a pair of doubles from catcher Jackie Rodriguez and a two-single, five-RBI effort from second baseman Alyssa Berlanga. Both are freshmen.

The Eagles added five runs in the fourth.

Eagles junior Alexis Berlanga (9-6) allowed four hits and a pair of third-inning runs to the Bulldogs.

Southside 16, Memorial 1 (3 innings)

The Cardinals (4-11, 1-2) unloaded on host Memorial (1-9, 0-3) Friday at Tiger Field. Southside’s offensive output equaled their season scoring high, achieved Feb. 22 against MacArthur’s junior varsity.

In its first District 29-4A win, Southside scored at least five runs in each of the three innings. The Cardinals grabbed a 6-0 lead in the top of the first.

Senior Kat Mancha hit a home run and drove in two runs for Southside. Cardinals sophomore Isabel Gonzalez limited the Minutemen to three hits and a second-inning run.