BULLDOGS BITE BACK | Diamond ‘Dogs leave Henderson with 14-7 win
HENDERSON – Memorable moments often come and go.
Tate Truman said he felt he was in a zone against Henderson as the Driller Boys rallied from an early deficit to beat Henderson by a football score 14-7 on Friday night at the Henderson Baseball Complex.
Nobody could argue when it was all said and done.
Truman, the Bulldogs’ third baseman, delivered, going 3-for-4 and driving in six runs. He scored twice and was involved defensively in a key double play. He wasn’t alone in what coach Eugene Lafitte called a total team effort.
“All three of my doubles came on inside fastballs. I felt normal in a zone and just let it rip,” said Truman. “You would have thought after the first (one) he wouldn’t throw me the second or third one.”
Tanner Beets, Colt Bullard, Kolton Hale, Justin Tucker-Phillips and Todd House, working in relief of Hale, the starting pitcher on the mound, also played significant roles against the Lions (10-13-2 overall, 4-7 in District 17-4A play), who came away with a 5-3 win against the Bulldogs on Thursday night in Kilgore.
The top four hitters in Kilgore’s lineup (House, Beets, Truman and Bullard) were a combined 9-of-17, scoring eight runs and driving in 10.
Neither starting pitcher (Hale) or Lions left-hander Kayne Brantley figured in the outcome.
“We’re battling and we did tonight,” Lafitte continued. “We’re still making too many errors and we need to cut back on that. But, like I said, we’re battling and that was the difference.”
House (2-0), for Kilgore (16-7-2 overall, 8-3 in district), was the winning pitcher. He allowed one unearned run, on four hits, struck out three and walked two in 3 2/3 innings. Caden Foster shouldered the loss, giving up seven runs on eight hits, striking out three and walking four.
“This was tough,” House said. “They’re good up and down their lineup, so I knew I had to battle to keep us in it. They can do a lot of things, but I knew I needed to do the best I could to win the battle and it worked out.”
Henderson scored first with a run in the first inning and stretched its lead to 4-0 after two innings against Hale, the Bulldogs’ starting pitcher. They did it without a hit, using walks, stolen bases, a sacrifice fly by Brian Biggs to score Dashawn Jackson, and an error plated a couple of other runs.
Down early, the Diamond Dogs rallied for not only their first hit, but their first three runs in the third inning. Cason Edney and Hale reached with singles and Beets walked to set the table for Truman’s first of three doubles, a shot to the left field fence, to clear the bases.
The Lions answered, though, with their sixth run of the contest. Foster was hit by a pitch and moved around by a J.T. Howard single. Brantley extended Henderson’s lead back to three runs with an infield single the Kilgore reliever.
Not to be denied, Truman and friends went to work, batting around and putting up crooked numbers (4) in the fifth and (6) in the seventh, to go along with one run in the sixth inning.
Some totals: Hale was 2-for-3, scoring three times. Besides his pitching line, House was 2-for-5 with an RBI and scored a run. Beets was 2-for-4 and scored four times. Meanwhile, Bullard was 2-for-4 with two RBI, Edney was 2-for-3 and scored twice, and Tucker-Phillips was 1-for-1, driving in two runs and scoring another.
The Lions’ Aden Butler led the way with two hits. He scored a run and drove in a run. Joining him with hits were Brantley, Macen Jones, Jackson, Biggs and Howard. Brantley, Jackson and Biggs also added RBI.
The double play the Driller Boys turned in the sixth to get out of a possible jam was special, going from Truman to Hale, covering third base, then from Hale to Beets back to Truman.
Kilgore centerfielder Cade Henry was credited with a couple of diving catches, the first coming on a ball hit by Jackson to lead off the fifth, and the second in the seventh to end the game on a ball hit by Howard.
The ‘Dogs stranded seven batters and the Lions left 10 on the basepaths.
In other district action Friday, Carthage swept a doubleheader from Gilmer 5-0 and 12-0, and Spring Hill beat Center 7-2.
Coming up Tuesday, Kilgore visits Carthage, then hosts Carthage on Friday; Henderson visits Spring Hill Tuesday, then hosts the Panthers on Friday.
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