McCollum stays unbeaten in 29-4A, to face Medina Valley

TEAMS INCLUDED: Harlandale, Kennedy, McCollum.

Harlandale (7-10, 1-4) made a big splash early Thursday in a District 29-4A game, but had to grit its teeth while Kennedy (3-9, 1-4) did the same in the late innings.

Kennedy capitalized when Harlandale went to its bench and nearly wiped out a seven-run deficit over the last three innings at the Frank Tejeda Complex. The Indians added a key run in the sixth inning to escape with a 9-8 win.

“I wanted to get everybody in,” Harlandale coach Jennifer Bocanegra explained. “These girls all gave up their spring break to play softball, so I wanted to reward them for that. There was a lot of nervousness that came out. The girls I put in the outfield had a little bit of trouble.”

It was smooth sailing for the Indians early in the game. Leadoff hitter Maya Tovar sparked Harlandale to a 7-0 lead in the first three innings.

“We were doing what we do best – swinging away with the bats,” Bocanegra said. “The girl we have leading off, Maya Tovar, must have gone 3-for-4. She has really, really stepped up her offense this year. Maya won’t be a power hitter, but she’s gotten really good at being a contact hitter.”

With help from a two-run double by Amy Cerna, Kennedy rallied for six runs in the fifth after Harlandale gave some of its subs playing time. A hit batsman by Emily Otani and a walk to Chelsea Mendez with the bases loaded forced in runs.

With two out in the bottom of the sixth, Harlandale’s Breanna Heredia came home with an insurance run on a throwing error.

Harlandale has struggled with inexperience, but the Rockets are even greener. Kennedy is a very young team with just one senior and two juniors on the roster. The remaining players are underclassmen.

“We’re making some of the same mistakes,” Kennedy coach Chris Jackson said, “but we’re getting better. We improve a little bit every game. That’s all I can ask as a coach. We lost a lot from last year.”

The Indians lost 4-1 at Floresville the previous evening. A seventh-inning home run from Heredia accounted for Harlandale’s lone run.

“They played well,” Bocanegra said. “We made too many errors early on and dug ourselves a hole we couldn’t get out of. They put the ball in play. We didn’t do our jobs at the beginning of the game. We took care of the errors and we were able to come back.”

Recognizing that the Indians need to keep making strides to have a chance at making the playoffs, Bocanegra is trying a new approach with her team.

“Now our goal is to rise to the challenge,” she said. “Every game I’m giving them a challenge every game. Today, it was to not let anything get by them (defensively) and to do the job offensively. Their goal is to take on the challenge and be successful.”

McCollum 5, Uvalde 4

The Cowboys (10-3, 5-0) prevailed in this battle of District 29-4A contenders Thursday at Uvalde (10-9, 3-2) and remained in a tie for first place in the district.

The teams were tied for three innings until McCollum scored in the top of the eighth. Cowboys junior pitcher Kim Abundis kept the Coyotes scoreless in the bottom of the inning.

McCollum shared first with Medina Valley (20-2, 5-0). The teams were scheduled to play Tuesday at the Tejeda complex.