SPLIT DECISION | Kilgore drops first, but wins second game in Whataburger OBC; tourney continues today
Very little experiences in Texas high school sports can compare to Kilgore High School’s annual Whataburger Oil Belt Classic.
Morning baseball? Check. Afternoon baseball? Check. Teams that will make a difference in UIL playoff races? Check. Driller Park hosting it all? Check.
Oh, and don’t forget the food.
It’s the 61st annual Whataburger Oil Belt Classic, and it’s happening almost all weekend at Kilgore’s historic Driller Park.
Coach Zach Hubbard’s Kilgore Bulldogs managed a split decision on Thursday, the tournament’s first day, losing to Central Heights, 7-0, on Thursday morning, and then wrapping the day up with a 5-4 win over Pittsburg.
So, today’s schedule looks like this:
9 a.m.: Kilgore vs. Huntington
11 a.m.: Harmony vs. Huntington
1 p.m.: Redwater vs. Pittsburg
3 p.m.: Central Heights vs. Shelbyville
5 p.m.: Kirbyville vs. Pittsburg
7 p.m.: Kirbyville vs. Shellbyville
And Saturday’s like this:
9 a.m.: Central Heights vs. Harmony
11 a.m.: Huntington vs. Kirbyville
1 p.m.: Kilgore vs. Kirbyville
3 p.m.: Redwater vs. Shelbyville
Back to Thursday. Here’s how things went down.
Kilgore 5, Pittsburg 4 (Thursday evening): Kilgore pitcher Cason Edney and the Diamond ‘Dogs’ defense was sharp, especially early-on.
Edney did allow a double in the first inning, but recovered quickly, getting the batter after that to hit a ground ball back to Edney, and then getting a strikeout to escape the Pittsburg half of the first without allowing a run.
Kilgore also went 1-2-3 in the first, but plated the game’s initial run in the bottom of the second.
With an out already in the books, Miles Applegate put the ball in play, but the second baseman couldn’t hang onto it, and Applegate reached on the error. Blade Chitwood came on to run for Applegate, and Jaxon Dickey managed a single to right. On the throw, there was an error at third, allowing Chitwood to run on through, and safely home, the first run of the game (Kilgore 1, Pittsburg 0).
Edney struck out the first batter for the Pirates in the top of the third, allowed a single, but then got out of it when he got one batter to ground into a fielder’s choice, then out three on a pop-up to Applegate.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth. Edney started things with a single to center, went to second on a single by Applegate, and then J Herrin, Edney’s courtesy runner, scored on a sac fly by Dickey (2-0 Kilgore), and Chitwood, running again for Applegate, scored on an error (3-0).
The Pirates plated a run in the top of the fifth (3-1 Kilgore), and then the Bulldogs pulled away again. With an out in the books, Kayson Brooks drew a walk, but was thrown out at home – Kolton Hale, who had put the ball in play, reached safely and then went to second base on the throw that put Brooks out.
Hale went to third on a single by Kaeson Clayton, and then Edney drew a walk to load the bases.
Applegate walked, and that brought Hale home (4-1).
Pittsburg added a run in the top of the sixth on an error (4-2), then two more in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 4-all.
So what had looked like a sure thing was suddenly dicey.
It wasn’t that way for long. In the bottom of the seventh, Kayson Brooks led off with a single, went to third on an error, and then scored on another error in an at-bat by Clayton.
The Diamond ‘Dogs had eight hits. Brooks was 2-of-three, and then Hale, Clayton, Edney, Applegate, Dickey – all each had a hit. Kason Henry had a hit, a big double. Applegate and Dickey each finished with an RBI.
Edney got the win, throwing the complete game for Kilgore, and finished with three strikeouts, and allowed eight hits, and four runs, three of them earned.
Central Heights 7, Kilgore 0: Thursday morning, the Bulldogs opened up the Oil Belt against one of the traditionally-strong teams in 3A, Central Heights, from just outside Nacogdoches.
The Bulldogs weren’t at their best, unfortunately, and Heights had a big third inning, plating four runs to take a 5-0 lead.
Kilgore committed three errors in the game, and only had two hits, both singles, by Hale and Applegate.
On the mound, Hale went two innings, allowing one earned run on two hits, walked three and had a strikeout. Rafello Adamez went four innings, striking out three, and allowed two runs – both unearned – on four hits. And Brody Smith pitched an inning, giving up four runs, all earned, on three hits and walked three.