SOFTBALL BEAT: AND THEN THERE WERE 4 : BORON NEARING PERFECT SEASON.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Daily News Staff Writer

Boron High, at 16-0 the only undefeated softball team in the Southern Section, needs four more wins for a perfect regular season.

One of the most successful small-school programs of the '90s, Boron has won a state-record 77 consecutive Desert Mountain League games but has never gone undefeated. The Bobcats, coming off a 17-1 win at Big Pine on Thursday, are ranked No. 1 in Division VI.

This year, Oakland Skyline High is the only other undefeated team in the state.

``I think we can manage to go undefeated,'' pitcher Jennifer Jenkins said. ``Everyone on the team is giving it their all, and we all want to be No. 1 in everything.''

Jenkins, a 5-foot-9 junior right-hander, has yielded just one earned run in 98 innings with 13 shutouts, three no-hitters and 132 strikeouts. She is batting .444.

``I'm really ecstatic. We've never kept an undefeated record this far,'' coach Mick Van Horn said. ``The team is just playing really well.''

Boron hosts Big Pine at 3:15 p.m. today, travels to Mammoth on Friday and closes out the season on the road against Lucerne Valley on Tuesday and Bethel Christian on May 13.

Keeping up the Spirits: Paraclete is on a serious roll. The Spirits (16-8) won their own 16-team Desert Diamond Classic with a 5-4 victory over La Reina on Saturday, stretching their winning streak to eight games.

``I'm pleasantly surprised,'' coach Margaret Neill said. ``Everyone on the team is starting to hit. We had faced so many good pitchers early in the season. It was never like we weren't trying, but I think the kids got down. But we stayed patient and finally got it.''

Barbara Alaniz and Lauren McDonald both hit two-run singles to supply the big hits against defending Classic champ La Reina. The Spirits scored all their runs in the fifth inning, and right-hander Amanda Wachsmuth (4-2) held the losers to seven hits.

``At first we were struggling, then we came up with the hits when we needed them,'' said Alaniz, noting the La Reina victory was a microcosm of the season. ``Beating La Reina was really a big win for us because it boosted our confidence.''

Paraclete beat Notre Dame 8-2 in the semifinals, taking advantage of four unearned runs. Winner Sara Gonzales (6-4) allowed two hits and struck out five.

No place like home (runs): Quartz Hill's Jodie Cox, who leads the region with eight home runs this season and 25 for her career (three short of the Southern Section record), is in a minor home run drought. Her last homer was April 13 against Antelope Valley, four games ago. Part of the problem is a lack of good pitches. Cox, batting .485 with 23 RBI, has 14 walks, and no teammate has more than five.

``We don't plan on giving Jodie Cox anything to hit,'' said Palmdale shortstop Tina Carrillo, whose team hosts Quartz Hill (20-1, ranked No. 1 in Division I) at 3:15 p.m. today. ``If we give her anything nice, she will just crank it. So we'll try to pitch around her.''

Sister Kellie Cox, a sophomore center fielder who leads Quartz Hill with a .518 average, said the ``slump'' doesn't seem to bother Jodie.

``We don't talk about it, but I don't think home runs are that important to Jodie,'' Kellie Cox said. ``She works her hardest on her pitching. For her that's the most important thing, I think.''

Jodie Cox, the returning Daily News Player of Year, is 19-1 with an 0.54 ERA and 166 strikeouts in 116 innings.

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PHOTO Boron High School pitcher Jennifer Jenkins, a 5-foot-9 junior right hander, has 13 shutouts, three no-hitters and 132 strikeouts in 98 innings. She has allowed just one earned run for the undefeated Bobcats. Boron is the only undefeated team in the Southern Section.

Jeff Goldwater/Daily News