HOW ‘BOUT BASEBALL? | A little more extensive preview of the Whataburger Oil Belt Classic

Courtesy of the KHS Diamond ‘Dogs Baseball Booster Club’s Facebook page (thanks, you people), here’s the prettiest form of the 2024 Whataburger Oil Belt Classic Tournament schedule.

Driller Park is the place to be for the entire rest of the week – well, the season, really, but this week is the annual Whataburger Oil Belt Classic Tournament.

Think of it as kind of like “Top Gun” for high school baseball.

Kilgore, who welcomes very successful coach Eugene Lafitte back for another run – Lafitte guided the Bulldogs to the state tournament for the second time in program history back in 2019 – has invited seven East Texas programs to Driller for an actual TOURNAMENT, where there WILL be a champion at the end of the day on Saturday.

And it’s all sponsored by Whataburger, which has been the sponsor of the event since 2019. Well, who ELSE would you expect to sponsor something like this? Check out the menu of the World’s Best right here – Whataburger | Order Online with Curbside and Delivery – and then show up after you leave Driller Park. They’ll be ready and they’ll be open: Whataburger is open 24-7, here in Kilgore and at any East Texas Whataburger. Look for the white-and-orange roof!

The schedule of the event is right at the top of the story, but the very first game of the tournament has Sabine facing Tyler Legacy’s junior varsity at 9 a.m. on Thursday.

Here’s your format, with records in parenthesis: Kilgore (3-1-1), Sabine (2-5), Tyler Legacy’s JV and Farmersville (3-2) are all in Pool A. Pool B has Central Heights (4-0), New Diana (1-0), Harmony (4-1) and Hardin Jefferson(3-2). The entire tournament takes place at Driller Park – no second site this year.

And here’s the best part: a champion will be crowned on Saturday. The teams will be in pool play all day, both days on Thursday and Friday, beginning at 9 a.m. both days – five games a day.

Then on Saturday, the two teams that finished fourth in each pool will play each other at 9 o’clock that morning. The two teams that finished third will follow, around 11:15 a.m.

The two second-place teams from each pool will play roughly around 1:30 p.m., and then the two teams that won their pool will meet at 3:45 for the tournament championship.

Lafitte’s Kilgore Diamond ‘Dogs come in hot. They beat Sabine, 14-4, in the season opener at Driller back on Feb. 19. Then, they went to Nevada community and went 2-1-1, beating Quinlan Ford, 9-1, dropping a game to Van Alstyne, 4-3, tying with Lindale, 5-all, and then pounding Sulphur Springs like a rock, 18-2, in the final day of the tournament.

So Kilgore starts the Whataburger Oil Belt with a 3-1-1 record.

Here’s our story, courtesy of Joe Hale, from Kilgore’s win over Sabine: DIAMOND ‘DOGS TOP SABINE IN OPENER | Hale shines on mound, plenty of offense in Lafitte’s return (etblitz.com).

Now, to catch you up from the Community Tourney…

In the 9-1 win over Ford, Kilgore scored first, saw Ford react and tie things up at 1-all in the second inning, and then Kilgore wore them out from there, plating three runs in the third and five in the fifth – the Bulldogs didn’t allow another run.

Kilgore finished with the nine runs on eight hits and made two errors; Ford had just two hits and made four errors.

Tanner Beets got the complete-game (five inning) win on the mound, throwing 53 pitches. He gave up just the two hits, as mentioned, to Chase McAlpin and to Austin States (both singles), and one unearned run. He didn’t walk a single soul. He struck out four.

Now, for Kilgore at the plate: Todd House went 2-for-4 with two singles and an RBI, and scored twice. Colt Bullard went 2-for-2 with a home run and a single, 3 RBI and scored a run (obviously on the homer) and also earned a walk.

Cade Cox also went 2-for-2 with two singles and two RBI, scored a run and also had a walk, and Tate Truman and Cason Edney each had a hit: both were singles. Truman had an RBI and also scored a run.

Catcher Joe Hendrickson and Jordan Pierce each walked – Hendrickson had 2 RBI, Pierce, one, and Pierce had 2 RBI and scored twice.

In the Bulldogs’ only loss of the season, the 4-3 setback to Van Alstyne, Van Alstyne was up 4-2 going into the seventh inning – the Diamond ‘Dogs managed to get a run in the seventh, but couldn’t complete the comeback.

Kilgore had four hits to Van Alstyne’s five in the game; Van Alstyne actually was charged with two E’s in the contest, Kilgore just one.

Kilgore had three pitchers to hit the mound in the game: Jordan Pierce for 3 2/3 innings; House for two innings; and Salvador Cervantes for 1 1/3 innings. Pierce allowed four runs, earned, on four hits, and struck out four, walked three, on 69 pitches. House threw 22 pitches, allowed just one hit, no runs, no walks, and had a strikeout, and Cervantes, on 21 pitches, had a strikeout, issued a walk, but allowed no hits and no runs.

As mentioned, KHS had four hits: Truman, House, Pierce, and Edney. Pierce’s hit was a triple. Truman had a single, and he also scored two runs. House had a single and an RBI, and also had a walk. And Edney had a single, as well.

Time got the Bulldogs and the Lindale Eagles in their game, which finished in a 5-all tie – and they tied with the number of hits, as well (nine each).

Kilgore led, 3-2, after the third inning, and took a 4-2 lead after four innings. But Lindale tied things up in the seventh, and before things could escalate further, as they say now, the game was called.

Edney and Brody Benson threw for Kilgore. Edney faced 17 batters and threw 38 pitches. He allowed three runs, two of them earned, on four hits, walked no one, and had two strikeouts. Benson faced 16 batters, threw 57 pitches, and allowed two runs, both of them earned, on five hits, walked one and struck out five.

For KHS, those nine hits: Truman and Bullard had two each. Bullard went 2-for-4, both of them singles, with an RBI. Truman went 2-for-2 , both singles, with an RBI and a run scored, and also had a walk.

Kolton Hale, Cox, Hendrickson, House, and Pierce each had a hit. Hale, Cox, Hendrickson and Pierce each had singles – Cox and Hendrickson each had an RBI and Pierce had 2 RBI. House had a double and didn’t have an RBI, but did score a run.

Beets didn’t have a hit, technically, but did have an RBI.

And in the Diamond ‘Dogs’ final game of the tournament, they absolutely shelled Sulphur Springs like it was “MLB 2024, The Show” video game: 17 hits, no errors, 15 runs in two innings, and held Sulphur to two runs in the first three innings.

Hale pitched three innings and faced 16 batters, allowing two earned runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out five. Truman faced four batters and allowed pretty much zeroes and ones: no hits, no runs, no earned runs, of course: he did allow a walk and did have a strikeout.

Bullard faced four batters, as well, allowing no hits, no runs, and giving up only a walk. He, too, had a strikeout.

Austin Chaney had a single and a home run for Sulphur and Corben Argenbright and Ty Robinson had their other two hits.

For Kilgore, it was Katie, bar the door: 17 hits, 12 of them singles, four doubles, and a triple; 16 RBI; of course 18 runs scored; six walks; only two hit-by-pitch; and only two strikeouts for the Diamond ‘Dogs all day.

Truman went 3-for-3 (because of course he did) with two singles and a double and 3 RBI, and scored twice, and also walked. Bullard, last week’s Whataburger / ETBlitz.com boys Player of the Week, went 2-for-4 with a single and a double, and 2 RBI and also scored twice.

Cox went 2-for-4 with a single and a double, 2 RBI and scored twice. Hendrickson went 2-for-3 with two singles, and 2 RBI. House went 2-for-3 with a single and a double, 2 RBI and scored three times, and walked once. Pierce went 2-for-4 with two singles, 3 RBI, and scored once.

Edney went 2-for-4  with a single and a double, and scored once. Beets and Jackson Tucker-Phillips also each had a hit: both of them were singles, and both of them scored twice , and both walked once. Phillips also had an RBI.

Aiden Domorad didn’t have a hit, but had an RBI and walked once in the game.

A look from behind home plate toward the outfield at Driller Park, where the Whataburger Oil Belt Classic Tournament, the annual high school baseball tournament, will begin anew on Thursday and a champion will be crowned on Saturday. Kilgore welcomes Sabine, Hardin Jefferson, Harmony, Central Heights, Tyler Legacy’s JV, Farmersville, and New Diana to Driller to see who will come out on top. (File photo by JACOB LUCAS – ETBLITZ.COM)