So you’re reading this mystery which is making sense to someone, you suppose, but not to you, and then everything comes together nicely, and you think, “that was well-done,” and you give high marks to the author for a perfect saga.

That’s one way (fortunately, there are others you might be musing) of saying the softball Jackets scripted a decent chapter here and one or two more there, came through with some whoppers at the end and the title read, “14-0.”

Cierra Thompson, on April 8, wasn’t waiting around for any twists and turns in the middle or a sensational finish: she was sensational for seven innings, almost as good as she was when she no-hit Bandera one week before.

It was deuces are wild as Thompson allowed two hits, two walks, and two balls to reach the outfield, and all Warriors were refrained from going anywhere past (where else?) second base. Cierra wasn't entirely boring: she struck out nine and faced just 25 batters, four over the minimum.

“She’s fighting to get back in shape,” head coach Brian Cottle declared, “and soon she’ll be throwing a strike whenever she wants. Cierra was super fast, but some of her pitches were super high.” There was even a positive in that, as the Lady Warriors chased those rise balls, their bats only collected a lot of humidity.

Alright, alright, let’s get to the offense, which had huge numbers. Llano led, 1-0, until the third inning when Lauryn Looney grounded a single to center, and Leslie Weihs and courtesy-runner Brittany Williams scored. Looney had three of the Jackets’ 18 hits.

“We took the loss to Wimberley (April 4) pretty hard,” Weihs said, “and we knew we had to work ten times harder to repeat as district champions.” Emily Schendel, whose uniform looked more “dirt and orange” than black and orange, reflected: “Winning 25-3A will come down to who has the most heart and who will push through to meet the challenge.”

Back in Ingram, the visitors posted two runs in the fifth inning as Schendel, Looney and Chelsea Montgomery recorded back-to-back-to-back singles. The lead was 5-0, which was comfortable but not overwhelming, and overwhelming is what fans expect of a team heading toward its 12th victory in its last 13 district games.

“I wasn’t real pleased it took us so long to hit the ball,” Cottle pointed out. “When you’re facing a slow pitcher as we were, you want to score a lot of runs quickly and go home.” That’s the talk of someone who either has no mercy or loves the mercy rule.

The scoreboard would change quickly (and often) in the sixth and seventh innings. The Jackets scored four runs in the sixth with the marquee hit being a double by Schendel. It was a blast to left centerfield and it cleared the bases. Emily enjoyed a three-for-four night with a pair of two baggers. She now has six in her five district starts.

The seventh inning was a monster as Llano crossed home five times and had seven hits. (Ocean’s?) Eleven went to the plate. Weihs had her second double of the night; it was her fourth hit of the game, and it chased in two. Weihs and Montgomery lead the squad with ten hits in the six, 25-3A outings.

• Swinging in the Rain: Katie Yeager had two singles in that seventh frame. Danielle Delz, playing third base, was on base three times on the night. Blair Schorck and Monica Bigger got in the game, and their teammates in the dugout delivered loud support.

• It really wasn’t raining, but my Thesaurus is missing.