In the thick of Bryan's tournament season, someone scheduled a Crosstown Showdown.
Bryan will host the first District 12-5A softball meeting between the Lady Vikings and the A&M Consolidated Lady Tigers on Tuesday, then head back into tournament play. Both teams enter the Showdown with 1-0 district marks, and neither had much of a test in its opener. Consol blanked Copperas Cove, 10-0, and Bryan routed Harker Heights, 18-1.
"We both got a game in and both did a good job last week," Bryan coach Enrique Luna said. "We both got after it and [the Lady Tigers] did a good job with their tournaments."
Bryan (9-5 overall) split six games at the Fort Bend Elkins Tournament last weekend.
Jennifer Kasper (6-1) allowed seven hits in a 10-6 victory over Houston Bellaire on Saturday. She also produced at the plate with two homers, including a grand slam. Ashley Lara was 3 for 4 with a double and scored twice. Patty Gorzycki also went 3 for 4.
"Overall, I though we did well, considering the teams we had to play," said Luna, whose team lost to Montgomery, 7-0, in its other game Saturday. "That's a big positive considering last year we went 0-6 in that tournament. I don't think we're playing at the best of our abilities, but I think we're getting there and I'm curious to see how we respond."
Consol (15-2 overall) enters the Crosstown Showdown after posting a 5-1 record at the College Station ISD Tournament. Junior pitcher Sarah Halliwell is 13-2.
She will likely have another busy week beginning Tuesday, but it won't be quite as compressed as it might have been. A district game against Belton scheduled for Monday was postponed, giving the Lady Tigers a rare practice day.
"The weather forecast showed a line of thunderstorms coming in," Consol coach Billy Hicks said. "[The postponement] allowed us to get on the field and practice. We've got a lot of game experience, but not a lot of practice. We got a chance to fix a few things and cover some things like they need to be covered."
The Belton game is now set for Wednesday, which still leaves Consol with a challenging combination of games, but the Lady Tigers are playing well. Sarah Allison was 10 for 17 in the CSISD tourney, driving in eight runs as her team finished third.
Bryan's tournament schedule concludes this weekend at the Spring Break Classic in Carrollton on Thursday and Saturday, with a single game Friday at Flower Mound.
"Consol has really played well and they're 15-2 for a reason," Luna said. "I would like for us to come out and get a victory, but if it doesn't happen, then we'll regroup. We've got another tournament that will get us prepared for the late-season run and that, to me, is what matters."
Hicks likes some rest time that Luna built into his early season, but he also likes the tournaments he was in.
"[Luna] was trying to see if that week off in there helps them physically," said Hicks, whose tournament schedule is now complete. "It's a grind the first three weeks of the season, but it's been a good three weeks because the kids have responded well. The kids have played hard and battled hard."
Hicks will soon know where his team stands.
"This is really the start of district for us, with Bryan, Belton and then Temple," Hicks said. "The first three could tell us where we're going to finish."
CROSSTOWN SOFTBALL
* Tuesday's game: A&M Consolidated (15-2, 1-0 District 12-5A) at Bryan (9-5, 1-0), 7 p.m.