KHS loses finals of tourney; at Nac tonight for 17-4A play

CASEY WHITMER The Kilgore baseball Bulldogs were leading Brook Hill by six runs on Saturday, looking to finish the Athens Tournament with a 3-0 record and a three-game winning streak headed into District 17-4A play this week.

Then came the sixth inning.

The Bulldogs allowed Brook Hill to tie the game, then take the lead, and Kilgore wound up losing the tournament's championship game, 9-7.

"You never want to let something like that happen," said KHS coach Tim Harkrider. "But if it's going to happen, I'd lot rather it happen in a tournament game like that than in a district game."

KHS (8-4) visits Nacogdoches tonight, a 6 p.m. start, for the 174A opener for both teams. The Bulldogs' ace, Casey Whitmer, Harkrider said, is likely to get the start on the mound.

"He only threw about 14 pitches late (against Brook Hill)," the coach said. "He'll be ready to go."

Kilgore took a 6-0 lead into the sixth inning, on the back of some good offense and good pitching by Mikel Wheeler, who started the game, and by Austin Honeycutt, who came on in relief.

But the Bulldogs just made a few mistakes, a couple of errors that allowed Brook Hill to get the momentum.

"We just didn't finish the deal," Harkrider said. "For the first three innings, we played some of the best baseball we've played this season. We just need to get so that we're playing a complete game."

Harkrider noted that the 'Dogs have scored 59 runs this year, and 42 of those have been scored in the first three innings. "We're setting the tone early, which is what we like," the coach assessed. "But we're not scoring late. We're not finishing."

For the tournament, Harkrider singled out outfielder Shea Calico, who had six hits. "He's really coming along."

The coach also underscored the play of young freshman Steven McBryde at shortstop - McBryde had a late RBI single that allowed KHS to keep their hopes for the game alive. "That guy does not play like a freshman," Harkrider laughed. "It beats all I've ever seen."

Following tonight's game at Nac, the Bulldogs come home to Driller Park, where they haven't played since March 3, to host Marshall in the second district contest. Friday's first pitch will also be thrown at 6 p.m.