BULLDOGS BEAT SCRAPPY CENTER | Kilgore wins district debut on the road, 2-1
Kilgore pitcher Kolton Hale (above) and teammate Todd House pitched a nice seven-inning game for a 2-1 come-from-behind win Wednesday night in Center, allowing the Diamond ‘Dogs to win their District 17-4A opener. (Photo by DENNIS JACOBS – ETBLITZ.COM)
For a handful of innings on Wednesday night – a night later than it was originally scheduled, by the way – it looked like Kilgore High School’s Diamond ‘Dogs might lose their District 17-4A opener on the road to the Center Roughriders.
But Kilgore, down early, punched back, tied the game in the top of the third, held on through a couple of close innings, then went ahead on an RBI single by Joe Hendrickson that scored Colt Bullard in the top of the sixth. That was the difference, a 2-1 nail-biter that allowed coach Eugene Lafitte’s Bulldogs to escape with the victory.
Kilgore is now 7-2-1 on the season overall (the tie was with Lindale in the Community Tournament two weekends ago), 1-0 in district play and has won four straight, having won their last three games of the Whataburger Oil Belt Classic Tournament, then Wednesday’s game at Center, of course. The game was moved to Wednesday when Center said it was too wet to play it on Tuesday after storms Tuesday morning.
The Bulldogs jump right back into action as a part of the Mount Pleasant Tiger Classic Tournament on Thursday. If everything is the same, that means Kilgore will face Paris at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, just the one game on Thursday, but will play twice on Friday, back-to-back games. They’ll play Hooks at 9 a.m. Friday morning, then at 11:30 a.m., they’ll face Harmony.
On Saturday, Kilgore will face Sulphur Springs at 4:30 p.m.
All games have an hour, 50-minute time limit.
Back to Wednesday’s game at Center.
Center claimed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Kilgore pitcher Kolton Hale struck out T.J. Bellin, the first batter, but then Easton Wulf singled to right field, and would go to third on an error during an at-bat by teammate Logan Horton. Wulf scored on a sacrifice fly by Horton, what would turn out to be the ‘Riders’ only run of the game.
Hale walked Cody Adkinson and hit Jayden Lane, but got Case Miliford to fly out to Tanner Beets at second base to get out of the inning down just 1-0.
Kilgore got its first base-runners of the game in the top of the second. Jordan Pierce hit a single to center field, and with two outs, advanced to second on a passed ball, but would get no further, as Horton got out of the threat with a strikeout.
Hale showed them how it was done, though, in the top of the second – Center sent them to the plate and Hale sat them down, one after another, 1-2-3: he struck out the side, S. Link, C. Lout and C. Mosley, a quick inning.
And in the top of the third, that’s when Kilgore would tie it up. Cade Henry hit a grounder into play and reached on an error, then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt laid down by Hale.
Hale was out at first, but Henry went to second, then scored on the next at-bat, a single by Todd House that tied the game up.
Beets walked on four straight pitches, but the ‘Riders would get out of the inning without giving up the go-ahead run, leaving the game tied up at 1-all.
Kilgore had another quick Center session in the bottom of the third: a fly-out to House at short, a fly-out to Pierce in right, and yet another strikeout by Hale.
Center returned the favor in the top of the fourth, and this continued until the Diamond ‘Dogs would score the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth – and they did most of the work with two outs.
With both outs in the books, Colt Bullard hit a line drive single to left field, and then advanced to second on an error in the next at-bat, when Pierce hit a hard grounder to shortstop.
Hendrickson singled to center field and that was enough, as big Bullard rounded third and came on home, a 2-1 lead for the Bulldogs. Center escaped without further damage, but had two at-bats – the bottom of the sixth and the bottom of the seventh – to get an opportunity to tie or go in front.
They’d do neither.
Hale came off the mound and House moved on, but he pitched well, too, and the Diamond ‘Dogs’ defense was unshakeable. House allowed just one hit and walked one, struck out two and – most importantly – gave up NO RUNS in facing eight batters over two innings. Hale allowed just the one unearned run in five innings pitched, having faced 19 batters, allowing only two hits and two walks, and struck out seven, an excellent performance by both young men.
And Horton was solid for Center, too, going the complete game. In the seven innings he faced 29 batters, threw 83 pitches and allowed Kilgore just two runs on four hits, walked only one and struck out seven.
Center’s hits were all singles: Bellin, Wulf and Conrad Shahan each had one of them.
For Kilgore, it was Bullard, Hendrickson, House and Pierce all getting hits, with House and Hendrickson pulling the RBIs.
One more note on the Diamond ‘Dogs’ schedule: next week, March 11-15, is spring break for Kilgore ISD. But Kilgore will still play baseball, and that means two district games: at home at Driller Park against Gilmer on Tuesday night at 7 p.m., and at Henderson on Friday, March 15, also at 7 p.m.
If either of those dates or times are changed, we’ll note it here on ETBlitz.com.