The Kennedy Cougars produced an 8-run second inning on Wednesday evening in a victory over Valley Mission League newcomers Chavez.

The win preserved the Cougars’ unbeaten league record, while also claiming sole possession of first place from the Eagles.

Melaney Velasco’s leadoff home run in the second inning started a rally for the visiting Cougars, who batted around and tallied nine hits during the frame. Aubrie Rodriguez kept the Eagles scoreless for five full innings, and recorded seven strikeouts during her complete game outing.

“[We just have to do] the small things,” said Eagles head coach Stephanie Boshae. “Cutting down damage. Little things like hitting your cut, keeping balls in front when you need to keep balls in front, laying out, just minimizing damage when the opponents do get big hits.”

Following Kennedy’s destructive second inning, neither team could get the bats going. Only two more runners advanced into scoring position through the fifth inning. The Cougars tagged on an insurance run in the top of the sixth to extend their advantage to nine.

“Our defense has been solid throughout the year,” said Cougars head coach Richard Sanchez. “Aubrie [Rodriguez] is solid on the mound when it comes to crunch time. The defense has been there pretty much all season.”

Down 9-0, Chavez began to battle back in the final two innings of the game. Yliana Rodriguez’s two-out double in the bottom of the sixth plated two to put the Eagles on the board. A three-run shot from Nadine Valdez the next inning cut the visitors’ lead to four, creating a palpable excitement along the Chavez sideline.

“I know we have talent on our squad,” said Boshae. “We’ve got a young crew. We started off slow, but our girls don’t back down. They go all 7.”

The rally continued, as the Eagles loaded the bases with two outs, bringing the tying run to the plate. Aubrie Rodriguez kept her nerve despite the rocky inning, however, fielding a ground ball and tossing it to first for a dramatic final out.

“We’ve got to continue to work hard,” said Sanchez. “[We need to] be able to put away teams when we should. Hopefully our bats continue to roll going forward.”

Chavez, who have now dropped three consecutive games, look to return to winning ways in a league matchup against Verdugo Hills May 2 at 6:00 p.m. Kennedy are looking to win their second game against Poly to maintain their unbeaten run in the Valley Mission League May 2 at 3:30 p.m.