IT’S GILMER SOFTBALL! | They’re the Goudarzi & Young / ETBlitz.com Team of the Week!
Sometimes, it’s very simple, and it all comes down to wins.
That was the case last week for Gilmer High School softball, who took control – at least for the time being – of District 16-4A by winning a huge showdown over Henderson at their own field, then held off Pine Tree in another win on Friday.
That kept coach Keristen Seahorn’s Lady Buckeyes unbeaten in 16-4A, and as a result, won them the Goudarzi & Young, LLP / ETBlitz.com Team of the Week honors for the week of March 17-22.
Beating Henderson was impressive. The Lady Lions have an unbelievably-strong lineup, both at the plate and on the mound, and had won eight straight games coming into last Tuesday’s contest at Gilmer.
The Lady Buckeyes had won seven straight, and both were 3-0 in district play when the game began.
Alexis Kemp would take the mound for Gilmer and it would be the start of a big week for her.
Kemp only struck out four, and allowed four hits, but her defense played well enough behind her to keep Henderson off the scoreboard.
Jayna Rucker had the biggest hit of the night: a home run for the Lady Buckeyes, and also 2 RBI. Alex Werbeck had the other two hits for Gilmer. Chloe Ellis, Jacie Boothe, Colbie Rountree and Niya Vanzandt each had a hit for Henderson, who got a 10-strikeout performance from Ellis in the loss.
But only one could come out with the win, and this time, it’d be Gilmer. There’s a rematch on April 11 in Henderson.
To have it really matter, though, Gilmer would need to win another home game on Friday against Pine Tree. And for a while, it looked touch-and-go.
Pine Tree went up 2-0 early, then Gilmer scored in the second (2-1). The Lady Pirates added what looked like an insurance run in the top of the fifth to go back in front by two runs (3-1).
Then, as it sometimes happens in softball, things went south for Pine Tree in a big way: Gilmer scored a run in the bottom of the sixth, then two, then three. It snowballed, and got away from the Lady Pirates, and before they could get out of the inning, they had allowed nine runs to cross the plate, and trailed 10-3.
That would be the game’s final score. And now Gilmer is on a nine-game winning streak, with a 15-2-2 overall record, and much more importantly, a 5-0 record in District 16-4A.
Rucker was huge again, this time hitting two home runs with 3 RBI for the Lady Buckeyes. Brie Jones hit three singles and had 2 RBI. Kara Williams had a double and 2 RBI; Kennedy Jordan also had a double; Kemp had 10 strikeouts (giving her 14 in two games for the week), walked two and allowed the three runs, all earned. At the plate, she had a single and an RBI.
We’ll see if the Lady Buckeyes can keep it going. They play at Kilgore on Tuesday, then are back at home against Carthage Friday.
For now, though, they can smile, as they sit atop the 16-4A standings, and claim the Goudarzi & Young / ETB Team of the Week honors.
And when we entered into the agreement with Goudarzi & Young to sponsor the Team of the Week, we did so because we know they strive to do one thing, whether it’s in the courtroom or in negotiations: winning for their clients.
Quite simply, they make a difference.
Since founding the practice in 1997, Brent Goudarzi, a former Gilmer High School athlete himself, has teamed with Marty Young and an excellent staff to provide the very best legal services not just in East Texas, or even in Texas, but in the nation in the areas of car and 18-wheeler accidents, insurance claims, wrongful death, burn injuries, product and property injuries, and even oilfield injuries.
Brent was named the National Trial Lawyer of the Year two years running (2022, 2023) and was the President of the National Trial Lawyers Association in 2024.
No one wins like Goudarzi & Young, and they don’t get paid unless their customers do. How in the world can you top that?
No one is more accessible, either, especially to customers here in East Texas. They have offices in Gilmer, at 301 North Titus Street, or in Longview, at 3522 Fourth Street, and an informative website that allows potential clients to text with them live and see testimonials of what they’ve done for the last near 30 years – that’s Goudarzi & Young, L.L.P. – Tyler & Longview Personal Injury Lawyers.
They can be reached by e-mail at goudarziyoung@goudarzi-young.com, or by phone at (903) 843-2544, or toll-free at (800) 256-5169.
Learn more about Brent Goudarzi and his upbringing in the video below.
Congratulations again to the Gilmer Lady Buckeyes softball team, the Goudarzi & Young, LLP / ETBlitz.com Team of the Week!