Demolition derby

STEVEN McBRYDE, COACH TIM HARKRIDER Maybe Kilgore High School baseball pitcher Todd Nault should change his name to Todd Naught, because that's about what he's allowed the opposing team in his last couple of outings.

Nault and the Bulldogs put on quite a show Friday night at Driller Park. The young pitcher threw six innings, got out of more than one jam, and took down the No. 9-ranked Marshall Mavericks, 6-1, in front of a big crowd at the old ballpark.

"He took care of business again," said KHS coach Tim Harkrider after the win, which left Kilgore (10-4 overall, 2-0 in District 17-4A) tied with Hallsville at the top of the district standings.

The Bulldogs will play at Pine Tree on Tuesday, a 6 p.m. start, then at home against Hallsville on Friday at 7.

Marshall gave up three runs early in the game, allowing KHS to go up 3-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Nault took the ball and ran with it, so to speak, getting great defense from his teammates and pitching himself out of a difficult spot in the top of the second.

Marshall designated hitter Austin Hall reached on an error, and then third baseman Colton McGee walked, breaking Nault's 12-inning streak of not allowing a free pass. Kilgore catcher Jered Price gunned down Hall at second base, picking him off, and then Trent Staggers flew out to center field.

QUITE A NIGHT - Kilgore High School's baseball and softball teams had a very big night Friday against Marshall. Kilgore's softball team, led by Shelby Savony's two home runs and 5 RBI, blasted Marshall, 11-2, while Todd Nault and the baseball Bulldogs got a 6-1 win over the Mavs. Clockwise, from immediate right: Nault throws a pitch to the plate. Nault allowed just one run in six innings. Far right: KHS shortstop Steven McBryde and coach Tim Harkrider talk things over during an at-bat. Bottom right: Savony rounds first base after hitting her sixth home run of the year. Bottom left: KHS right fielder Amanda Mixon gets a hit. The softball team's victory left them alone in the District 17-4A standings; the baseball team's win allowed them to go 2-0 in district play, tied with Hallsville for the lead.Both Kilgore teams play at Pine Tree on Tuesday, and both host Hallsville Friday. Photos by Kathy Bowden Nault allowed two more walks - to right fielder Justin Skinner and left fielder Jackson Hood - before striking out second baseman Casey Hardin to end the threat, leaving the bases loaded.

Photo by Kathy Bowden JUST LIKE DAD USED TO DO - Kilgore center fielder Jaron Shepherd (above) had three hits Friday night in the Bulldogs' 6-1 win over Marshall. Shepherd and his older brother Jeremiah are following in the footsteps of their father, Ronald, who played Major League Baseball. In the bottom of the third, the Bulldogs gave Nault more offense.

Left fielder Shea Calico, who has been commended by Harkrider in recent weeks after improving at the plate, hit a line double to score third baseman Chase Patterson, who had singled. Then Calico scored on a single by center fielder Jaron Shepherd, who led KHS with three hits.

Kilgore got another run in the bottom of the sixth. Shortstop Steven McBryde walked, then advanced to second base on a passed ball and to third on a ground out. First baseman Kyle Shipp then scored McBryde on a single.

When Nault came out in the sixth, he finished with three strikeouts, six walks and allowed just the one run on four hits. He's 3-0 for KHS this season.

Kilgore's ace, Casey Whitmer, who had thrown a complete game on Tuesday in a win over Nacogdoches, came in for the last two innings and pitched shutout baseball. Whitmer, who was hitting the high 80s, low 90s on pitching guns at Nac, hit the mound in the sixth inning with two runners on and no outs, and struck out the side. In the top of the seventh, Whitmer allowed two hits, but forced a fly out to center and had two strikeouts, one to end the inning and the game.

Marshall shortstop Scott Adair had three of Marshall's six hits. The Mavericks got their only run of the game in the top of the third inning. Adair had doubled, then scored on a groundout by Corey Brown, the Mavs' starting pitcher.

Brown took the loss, allowing five runs and giving up eight hits in five innings. In other scores from around the district: Pine Tree beat Jacksonville, 10-4; Henderson defeated Nacogdoches, 4-3; and Hallsville defeated Whitehouse, 9-4.

Kilgore and Hallsville are tied for the district lead, each with a 2-0 record. The two teams meet at Driller Park for the first time this season on Friday. A host of teams are 1-1 in 17-4A. Marshall, of course, drops to 12-4 overall and 1-1 against district competition. PT is 8-5 overall, and 1-1 in district play. Whitehouse is 5-8 overall, with a 1-1 district record. Henderson is 68 overall and 1-1 in district, and Jacksonville is 9-3 overall, but winless - 0-2 - in district play.

Harkrider was upbeat about his team's recent play after the win.

"I don't think our guys realize yet how good they can be if they give an effort like this," he said. "If everybody can fill their roles, we can be a really good team."