Mei Shirokawa was on point with the leather and the metal.

Whether she was starting a double play in the first inning or making multiple stops on hard ground balls in the fifth, Shirokawa flashed her glove throughout Burlington Central’s softball game at Sycamore.

The Central Michigan recruit was just as effective at the dish, going 4 for 5 with three doubles and a team-high three RBIs as the Rockets took down the Spartans 13-8 in nonconference play Tuesday. Burlington Central (1-2) erupted for seven runs in the third inning and tacked on four runs in the fifth to earn its first win of the season.

“I was trying to make an adjustment and wait on the ball a little bit more,” said Shirokawa, who scored two runs for the Rockets. “I just want to get on base because I know the girls behind me can come through and score me. If I get on, then my team will do the rest.”

In an offensive battle that featured 33 hits and three home runs, Burlington Central struck first. Looking to give her team a spark, outfielder Emmerson Falk blasted a solo shot to deep right center to put the Rockets up 1-0 in the second. Batting from the No. 8 spot, Falk went 4 for 5 with two RBIs while scoring a team-high four runs.

“I wanted to make some good adjustments and simplify the swing so I could do anything to contribute,” Falk said. “I just simplified and tried to make contact with the ball. We’ve been jelling a lot better, and the team dynamic has been so positive. We’re all figuring out how to work together. I think that will make a difference in how we move forward.”

Sycamore (1-1), which won 29 games and earned a Class 3A regional championship last season, surged ahead in the bottom of the second. After back-to-back singles, the Spartans went up 3-1 when infielder Callie Countryman pounded a three-run homer over the left-field fence. Countryman went 3 for 5 with three RBIs in the game.

“I’m trying to do my best to stay relaxed and calm with my swing,” Countryman said. “Staying calm and looking for the pitch I want has really worked out well for me. I wasn’t rushing myself in the box and I was making sure I was hitting the pitches I truly wanted to hit.”

Burlington Central broke the game open in the top of the third, where the Rockets rallied for seven runs on seven hits, all with two outs. A string of consecutive run-scoring doubles from Falk, Madison Butler and Shirokawa preceded RBI singles from Kelsey Covey and Kendall Seydlitz, whose base knocks gave Burlington Central an 8-3 lead.

The offensive fireworks continued into the bottom of the third. With a full count, Sycamore’s Grace Caldwell launched a solo shot to center and brought the Rockets within four. Caldwell, who pitched in relief, struck out a team-high five batters over 4⅓ innings of work. Offensively, Caldwell finished 2 for 4 and scored one run.

“My hitting coach and I have worked on staying disciplined at the plate,” said Caldwell, whose team collected 16 hits to Burlington Central’s 17. “I stayed disciplined for my pitch. ... We’re focusing on not swinging out of our shoes, staying disciplined, working as a team and letting each other know what we’re seeing.”

Falk’s lead-off double in the fifth sparked a four-run frame for the Rockets, who went ahead 12-4 after run-scoring singles by Sophia Koertgen and Gianna Miceli. Shirokawa’s stellar evening continued in the sixth, where the junior slapped an RBI double on a line drive to left field. Defensively, Shirokawa aided in all three outs in the fifth.

“I’m just having fun,” Shirokawa said. “It’s so much fun to be out here. I have so much trust in my teammates. Win or lose or mistake or no mistake, I trust that we can do it. I think my strength is loving the game. I want to get better every day and I’m pretty versatile.”

Facing its largest deficit of the evening, Sycamore answered with two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings. Faith Heil lined a two-run double to center in the sixth, making the score 13-6 before Addison Armstrong hit a two-run single on a hard grounder in the seventh.