AND THAT’S A WRAP | ‘Dogs finish Whataburger OBC with a win; Carthage slips to Hudson; KHS, Carthage meet Tuesday

For their final game of the Whataburger Oil Belt Classic on Saturday, coach Zach Hubbard and the Kilgore High School baseball Bulldogs had one goal, one utterly simple goal: Win.

Friday didn’t matter. What was coming up this week didn’t matter. Just beat Kirbyville.

And the Diamond ‘Dogs did it.

Now, they did have to sweat a bit near the end: Kilgore took an early 4-0 lead, eventually added a run to go up 5-0, and then had to beat the Wildcats to the finish line, so to speak: Kirbyville scored four runs in the final two innings. They gave KHS fans a bit of a scare, but ultimately, the good guys got out with a 5-4 win, giving Kilgore a 2-2 record in their annual Whataburger OBC.

The ‘Dogs (with a 3-6 record so far this year against a pretty stout schedule) now turn their attention to the District 16-4A opener. That’ll be on the road Tuesday night against another team that ETBlitz.com covers, the Carthage Bulldogs.

Carthage hosts Kilgore Tuesday at 7 p.m.

More on that game shortly. How did Kilgore beat Kirbyville?

After a scoreless first inning, Kason Henry drew a lead-off walk in the bottom of the second. Jaxon Dickey followed with another walk – two on, no outs, after Henry had gone to second on a passed ball.

Smith laid down a bunt and reached base safely, loading the bases, no outs.

Tinney popped up to the pitcher, so the Wildcats had one out, but that was when the dam burst, and Brayden Williams was the man who did it. He grounded into a fielder’s choice, but that allowed Henry to score (1-0 Kilgore).

The Bulldogs, even with two outs, weren’t finished.

Kaeson Clayton followed with a single, a hard-hit ball into left field. It scored Dickey (2-0) and Williams made it to third.

By the way, Kilgore has the market cornered on the name ‘Cason,’ and in about every spelling imaginable: Cason Edney, Kayson Brooks, Kason Henry and Kaeson Clayton.

At any rate, up 2-0, here came Kolton Hale to the plate. Clayton stole second to get into scoring position, and Hale did the rest, a single, again to left, and that brought Williams and Clayton both home for a 4-0 Kilgore advantage.

Fast-forward to the bottom of the fourth. With two outs and Williams and Hale both on, catcher Miles Applegate came through with a single – to left field – and scored Williams. That put the Diamond ‘Dogs up 5-0 for what looked like a fairly-comfortable lead.

Everything isn’t always as it seems, though, and Kirbyville would get a hard-hit single by Braxton Jacks in the top of the fifth – that scored Coy Wiggins, and the ‘Cats trailed 5-1. Edney fielded a grounder at first to end any threat.

But in the top of the sixth, Tripp Moss hit a single to left, and then Kilgore’s Jaxon Herrin, on the mound in relief, got a Wildcat batter to fly out, then struck out another.

Jaxson Allee singled to center, scoring Moss (5-2). Wiggins and Cooper Murphy both reached when they were hit by pitches, and that loaded the bases. Jacks was back up and singled again, scoring both Wiggins and Murphy, and getting the Wildcats within a run of the lead (5-4 Kilgore).

But Reed Edmondson came onto the mound, struck out Kirbyville’s Kaden Cloud for out three, and ended the threat – and the game.

Jacks went 2-of-3 with 3 RBI for Kirbyville, and Moss also had two hits. Ryan Coleman took the loss – Coleman threw five innings and allowed five runs, two earned, on seven hits, walked two and struck out two.

Clayton was the winning pitcher of record for Kilgore, going two innings and allowing no runs and no hits – he walked three and struck out four. Rafello Adamez threw three innings, allowing an earned run on four hits, didn’t walk anyone and had a strikeout.

Herrin went 2/3 of an inning and allowed three runs, all earned, on three hits, with a strikeout and no walks, and Edmondson threw to the one batter and got the game-ending strikeout.

Kilgore finished with seven hits: Applegate had two of them, and an RBI. Hale had a hit and 2 RBI. Williams and Clayton had a hit and an RBI, and so did Henry. Edney had a hit.

Lufkin Hudson 9, Carthage 2: The Bulldogs kind of had a rough go of things in the finale of their own tournament on Saturday, a seven-run loss to Hudson.

Hudson scored two runs in the first, then added four more in the third, and Carthage just couldn’t match the pace. The ‘Dawgs did score in the second inning, then another run in the fifth, but that was as close as they got.

Carthage (4-4) finished with four hits: one each by shortstop Kinsler Payne (who also had an RBI), Brooks Soape, another by Conrad Shahan, and a hit an an RBI by Cade Ross, whose hit was a double.

Five Bulldogs took the mound. Joseph Mitchell was the unlucky one that took the loss – he went 2 1/3 innings, allowing four runs, three of them earned, one hit, walked four and struck out three.

Judson Tabor went 2/3 of an inning, allowing two runs, both earned, on three hits and walked one. Brodie Brewster threw an inning: he allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits, and walked two. Andrew Gwinn went 1 2/3 innings, allowing an earned run on three hits, walked one and struck out one, and Kason Burchette went 1/3 of an inning, allowing zeros across the board accept one walk.