Behind the torrid hitting of juniors Jessica Savage and Kelsey Nichols, and the gallant pitching of senior Tiffany Denham, Alvin finished third at the 13th annual Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz. last week.

The Lady Yellowjackets (17-3) went 5-1, losing only to Poly-Riverside, Calif., 4-3 in the championship semifinals in the 40-team, nationally-known tournament with top schools from California (21), Arizona (10), Texas (4), Utah (2), New Mexico (2) and Nevada (1).

"We gained confidence as a team, playing well against some very good teams, and that's what we wanted to do," Alvin coach Carla Newson said. "I'm pleased because we had players up and down our lineup step up and play very well against some of the best talent in the nation."

Savage, Alvin's second baseman, was unstoppable at the plate going 15-for-20 in six games (.750 average) with nine runs scored, four RBIs and three doubles, and when she was limited to a single, Savage stole second at will.

But as special as her performance was, Nichols stole a big part of the show with two game-winning home runs coming in the top of the final inning. The most dramatic was a two-run shot with one out in the seventh against Clovis, N.M., and the other was a three-run blast that made the difference in a win over Los Alamitos, Calif.

Nichols added a third home run in the loss to Poly-Riverside, Calif., and finished hitting at a .474 clip (9-for-19) with 10 RBIs, seven runs and three doubles.

Denham had to shoulder almost all of the pitching load, going the distance in five games, but getting help with a save in 1.2 innings of relief from sophomore Lauren Denny against Los Alamitos.

It didn't stop there.

Junior first baseman Kelsi Kettler belted two home runs and was part of a stingy defense along with seniors Alex Joseph at shortstop, third baseman Natalie Farias, and catcher Megan Gomez, who prevented several runs as a true backstop.

Left fielder Megan Knippa and Meagan Potts in right supplied more senior leadership, and contributed in the field and at the plate, and sophomore Vanessa Eng doubled in the winning run against Pacifica for third place.

"Every player had a good tournament and we hope this experience will make us stronger in district," Newsom said. "We have a challenging schedule coming up, but we feel like we're ready."

Alvin completes a four-game-in-eight-day stretch at Brazoswood at 7:30 p.m. on Friday; at Clear Brook at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday; and at home with Pearland at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Lady Yellowjackets were the highest finishers among the four Texas teams that included Elkins, which finished fifth with a 5-1 record, Splendora and Keller (both did not place).

It was Alvin's first trip to the Tournament of Champions.

Senior pitcher Amber Adams is continuing her recovery from a knee problem and plans to be back for as much of the district run as possible, according to coaches. She did not accompany the team to Arizona.