KHS DOWNS LEGACY | Whataburger OBC wraps Saturday with busy day, starting with Sabine/Harmony at 9 a.m.; KHS-HJ at 1:30
Oil Belt Classic baseball tournament at Driller Park. Kilgore won twice on Friday, and plays Hardin Jefferson at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
The tournament’s final day begins at 9 a.m. with Sabine facing Harmony. (Photo by DENNIS JACOBS – ETBLITZ.COM)
Kilgore got back on the winning track earlier Friday against Sabine and then closed pool-play competition with an 8-3 victory over Tyler Legacy’s junior varsity in the nightcap of the 59th annual Whataburger Oil Belt Baseball Classic Friday night at historic Driller Park.
The Diamond ‘Dogs’ fifth win of the young season (5-2-1) finalizes today’s schedule with Kilgore, 2-1 in the tournament, facing Hardin-Jefferson, also 2-1, in the second-place game at 1:30 p.m., with the championship between a couple of unbeatens Farmersville (3-0) and Central Heights (3-0) at 3:45.
Play begins at 9 a.m. Saturday morning between Sabine (0-3) and Harmony (0-3), followed by New Diana (1-2) and Tyler Legacy’s JV (1-2) at 11:15.
Tate Truman and Todd House combined for a no-hitter against the Red Raiders, who batted four times and scored two runs in the second inning off a couple of wild pitches and added another run in the third on a passed ball.
Truman got the starting nod and went three innings for the win, striking out three. He temporarily struggled with two outs in the second, walking four before closing the inning with a strikeout.
House relieved in the fourth, allowing a leadoff walk to Kaden Wells and a hit batsman, but an infield fly and a strikeout ended the Red Raiders potential rally.
“Tate pounded the strike zone like he can early, but struggled a little bit in the second (inning) before getting his rhythm back in the third,” said Kilgore coach Eugene Lafitte.
House, who started the contest at shortstop, led off by reaching on an error and scoring the first run. He went on to single twice, driving in a run and scoring three besides stealing a couple of bases.
“Todd had a pretty solid game,” Lafitte added, “with the bat and on the mound.
Joining House with hits for the Diamond Dogs were Tanner Beets, Truman, Cade Cox and Cade Henry.
The Bulldogs used a Truman single along with a Legacy error, a hit by pitch and three walks to score four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Jordan Pierce, Joseph Hendrickson and Henry delivered the runs.
Truman, who faced only three batters and threw 13 pitches in the first inning, walked four Legacy batters in a row in the top of the second as the Red Raiders trimmed the early 4-run deficit to two as Kaden Wells and Beau Slaughter scored on wild pitches.
Kilgore added a single run in the second as House led off with a single, stole second base on Legacy reliever Jayden Davis, and scored on an infield error, stretching the Dogs’ lead to three runs, 5-2.
Legacy countered with an unearned run in the third as Brady Symes reached base on an error, and scored on a passed ball.
Cade Cox opened the third with a single and scored the sixth run for the Bulldogs on a two-out House single to short right field. The Kilgore shortstop came around to score on a Beets single to right field.
Beets added the third run of the inning and eighth of the game for Kilgore when Pierce coaxed a walk with the bases load to plate his second baseman.
Of course, see a wrap-up of the entire tournament Saturday here on ETBlitz.com.