The Hanks Knights will be taking part in a tournament against the San Elizario Eagles at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Hanks has three straight victories, San Elizario has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Hanks saw some tournament action on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 14-5 margin over Burges. The Knights might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by seven runs or more this season.
Kareli Borunda made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off 11 hits. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI. That double was her first of the season.
Dreana Ballesteros
| 02/14/25 vs Burges | 4 |
| 02/14/25 vs Franklin | 3 |
| 04/10/24 @ Horizon | 2 |
| 03/26/24 vs Horizon | 2 |
| 03/23/24 vs Bel Air | 2 |
In other batting news, Dreana Ballesteros was a standout: she went 4-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in hits (four). Another player making a difference was Amberly Mercado, who went 3-for-5 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run.
Hanks always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .535. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .500 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, San Elizario came up short against Burges on Friday, falling 15-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Eagles have suffered against the Mustangs since February 27, 2018.
San Elizario saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Victoria Fernandez, who scored two runs while going 3-for-3. Yelena Arzola was another, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Hanks now has a winning record of 3-2. As for San Elizario, their loss dropped their record down to 0-5.
San Elizario's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hanks has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.8 hits per game. It's a different story for San Elizario, though, as they've been averaging 13 hits. Given Hanks' sizable advantage in that area, San Elizario will need to find a way to close that gap.
Hanks took their win against San Elizario when the teams last played back in February of 2022 by a conclusive 13-4. Will Hanks repeat their success, or does San Elizario have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
