Meet the Preps

Franklin beats Hanks softball

It was billed as a pitchers duel, and it lived up to the hype. 

Franklin, ranked No. 2 in the city, defeated No. 1 Hanks, 2-1 in the seventh inning after an error resulted in the game-winning run.

In the bottom of the seventh with one out, Kassie Dominguez struck out, but the catcher couldn't handle the ball and Dominguez beat the throw to first. She then stole second and was bunted over to third. 

Next at bat was Marcie Emler who hit a smoking liner that the second baseman was able to handle, however a bad throw let Dominguez come in to end the game.

"It was a hard ground ball that took a hop," Franklin coach Rick Perez said. 

Hanks had taken an early lead in the second inning when pitcher Adriana Garcia hit a one-run homer off Leslie Ericson. 

After the homer Ericson settled down and allowed only six hits for the entire game.

Franklin tied the game up in the bottom of the fourth when Abby Cohen came in from third base after a bad throw from the shortstop third baseman to second base.

While Hanks only two errors resulted in two runs for Franklin despite giving up only three hits. The Cougars also committed two errors.

Hanks (11-2), who has not had their second bye yet, remains in first place ahead of Franklin (10-2) by half a game.

"It's going to be tough (to win the district)," Perez said. "We got four tough games left."

Perez said the duel between Ericson (14-4) and Garcia (23-4) was one of the best all season.

Meanwhile, El Dorado, who was in fourth place, defeated Montwood, who was in third place.

Talking high school sports

The latest high school sports podcast is now available.

KTSM's Beau Bagley and John Erfort of the El Paso Times talk about boys and girls soccer, as well as baseball and softball.

To download or listen to the podcast, click here.

El Paso Times' high school softball top 20 players and top 10 teams to watch for in 2008

Here are the El Paso Times' high school softball top 20 players and top 10 teams to watch for in 2008. These lists originally were published in Tuesday's (Feb. 12, 2008) El Paso Times, although the players' list only ran 10 deep. Also of note, the El Paso Times mistakenly listed Mandy Veliz of Montwood at No. 10 instead of Coronado's Danya Dayna Perez.

Players to watch
1. Bonnie DeAntona, senior pitcher, Chapin
2. Lea Padilla, senior pitcher, Bel Air
3. Hana Harrison, senior outfield, Franklin
4. Adriana Garcia, junior pitcher, Hanks
5. Loren Phelps, senior outfield, Chapin
6. Crystal Carreon, junior outfield, Hanks
7. Kayla Black, sophomore pitcher, Clint
8. Leslie Ericson, junior pitcher, Franklin
9. Jennifer Hess, sophomore outfield, Franklin
10. Danya Dayna Perez, senior first base, Coronado
11. Mandy Veliz, sophomore pitcher, Montwood
12. Thania Sierra, junior pitcher, Austin
13. Cene Padilla, junior outfield, Bel Air
14. Toni Romero, junior outfield, Riverside
15. Courtney Graf, senior shortstop, Coronado
16. Amber Olivas, senior pitcher, Montwood
17. Michelle Reyes, senior first base, Eastwood
18. Belinda Hernandez, sophomore shortstop, Chapin
19. Desiree Delgado, senior, Burges
20. Bianca Adame, junior shortstop, El Dorado

Preseason poll
Rk. Team 2007 record
1. Franklin 21-8
2. Chapin 26-7-1
3. Bel Air 14-16-1
4. Montwood 17-11-2
5. Hanks 24-12
6. Burges 17-10
7. Eastwood 29-5
8. El Dorado 11-15
9. Clint 24-4
10. Riverside 23-10

Andress softball pitcher hits milestone

Andress High School pitcher Annette Rodriguez reached a personal milestone in Tuesday's 10-6 victory over Northeast rival Irvin.

The senior reached 300 strikeouts for her career as an Eagle after striking out eight Rocket batters.

Rodriguez, a multiple all-city pitcher, long has been a gem for an Eagles team that has produced very few big names over the past several years.

Former El Paso softball players

Here's just one of many examples of how well former El Paso high school softball players excel in the college ranks:

Bridgette Rodriguez, last year's all-city most valuable player at Ysleta, had a game-winning RBI to give College of the Southwest a 8-7 comeback victory over the University of Texas-Permian Basin last weekend. Her hit into the outfield came with two outs and two strikes, a scenario with which she was familiar while at Ysleta.

Meanwhile, teammate Ruby Garza, an all-city pitcher while at Hanks, pitched a complete game in their double-header, a game the Mustangs won 6-3. In her first game as a Mustang, Garza allowed three earned runs on 12 hits, walked two batters and recorded three strikeouts.

Entering this weekend's double-header against Langston University, the Mustangs were 2-2.

Clear across the country, Nikki Stoltz is getting it done at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. A four-time all-city outfielder at Ysleta, Stoltz is starting at left field and catcher as a freshman.

The Pioneers, a Division 1 program, are 9-2-1 and play next March 5, when they begin play in the Northeast Conference.