KHS FINISHES WITH WIN IN TIGER CLASSIC | Back to district grind at home vs. Gilmer Tuesday
The first time Kilgore High School baseball played Sulphur Springs this season, they won in an 18-2 rout, back in the Community Tournament a couple of weeks ago.
The teams met again on Saturday in Mount Pleasant’s Tiger Classic, and it was a bit closer this time, but the good guys still won.
Kilgore scored a run in the first inning, another in the second, saw Sulphur tie it in the third, and then the Diamond ‘Dogs scored the tie-breaker in the fifth for a 3-2 win.
Coach Eugene Lafitte’s Bulldogs, 9-4-1 on the season so far, are off from school this week, but not the diamond, as they jump back into District 17-4A play. They’ll host Gilmer on Tuesday, and visit Henderson on Friday, although there has been an adjustment in the times of the games.
Junior varsity Red will play Gilmer at Driller Park at noon on Tuesday, with varsity to follow around 2:30 p.m., then on Friday, Kilgore will play at Henderson, with JV Red starting at noon, and varsity set for 2:30, or right after the JV game. Kilgore beat Center in the district opener, and is 1-0 in 17-4A, having only played the one district game.
In the 3-2 win over Sulphur, Kilgore plated a run in the bottom of the first.
With an out in the bottom of the first, Tanner Beets singled to center field, and went to second on a passed ball, and scored on an RBI single by Tate Truman. SS got out of the inning before the Bulldogs could plate Truman.
In the bottom of the second, KHS would score again. Catcher Joe Hendrickson hit a single to center, and Cade Cox came on as a courtesy runner. Cox advanced to second on a bunt laid down by Cason Edney. Cox went to third on a passed ball, and then scored on a wild pitch (2-0 Kilgore).
Sulphur Springs tied the game on a two-run home run by center fielder B. Driver in the top of the third (2-2).
With an out in the books, it was again Beets that got the rally started, this time with a single to third.
SS got a strikeout, and even armed with two outs, they couldn’t keep Kilgore from scoring. Beets stole second, and then scored on a single by Colt Bullard to left field, giving Kilgore a 3-2 lead.
Then, they protected it. Shortstop Todd House fielded the ball twice for two grounders in the top of the sixth, then Edney got a strikeout to end the inning. In the top of the seventh, Sulphur got a single, and also had a walk in their favor, but a groundout fielded by House, and then two popouts to Beets ended the game.
It was a clean game: neither team was charged for an error.
On the mound, Bullard threw four innings for Kilgore, Edney three. Bullard faced 18 batters, and threw 73 pitches. He allowed two runs, both earned, on six hits, and two walks, and struck out two. Edney faced 11 batters, and didn’t give up a run on 34 pitches. He allowed two hits, no walks and had a strikeout.
Ty Holt and Corbin Argenbright got the nod for Sulphur. Holt threw four innings, facing 15 Kilgore batters and allowing one earned run on three hits, one walk and 47 pitches. He struck out three. Argenbright faced 12 batters, and on 48 pitches, he allowed two runs, one of them earned, on four hits, and walked two.
At the plate for Sulphur, Driver had a single in addition to his homer, and finished with the 2 RBI. Kaden Mitchell, Argenbright, Kody Barclay, and Josh Perkins all each had a single and Ty Robinson had two.
For Kilgore, Beets had the two hits and scored twice. Truman had the single and the RBI. Cade Henry, Bullard, Hendrickson and Jackson Tucker-Phillips all each had singles, and Bullard had the RBI, as well.