Three-peat!

Photo by Kathy Bowden CHAMPS FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR - The Kilgore High School baseball team and coaching staff took a moment after Friday's 10-0 District 17-4A title-clinching win over Henderson to pose for this photo by Kathy Bowden. It was the Bulldogs' third straight district crown. KHS will have a first-round bye in the playoffs. Since the District 17-4A baseball schedule began, the Kilgore Bulldogs had one goal in mind: hoist that trophy for the third straight year and get a first-round bye, or pass, in the UIL Class 4A playoffs.

Although the No. 1 seed and the bye was already sewn up, the Bulldogs made the championship part official on Friday night at Driller Park in the regular season finale, run-ruling archrival Henderson, 10-0, and claiming the 17-4A crown alone. KHS got a one-hitter from ace Casey Whitmer, who struck out 13, including striking out the side in the third and fourth innings. Whitmer and his fellow seniors were honored prior to the game in a brief ceremony.

It marked the third consecutive year that the Bulldogs (21-5 overall, 13-1 in district play) took home at least a share of the district title. Kilgore shared that title in 2004, and came within a rock's throw of the 4A final four. The Bulldogs won the title outright last season, but lost in the playoffs to Brenham.

Photo by Kathy Bowden SPECIAL MOMENT - Some seniors from the Kilgore High School baseball team presented the family of former classmate Luke Lollie (pictured here) with a ball autographed by the team Friday night. Lollie, a KHS student athlete, was killed in an auto accident three years ago, and would have been a senior this year. "Winning this, without having a co-champion, was important to us," said KHS secondyear head coach Tim Harkrider. "So was taking that No. 1 seed, and getting the bye in the first round."

Kilgore won't have to worry about playing a first-round game. The Diamond 'Dogs will await the winner of a one-game playoff between Nederland, out of District 20-4A, and Dayton, out of 19-4A. That game, according to a member of the Nederland coaching staff present at KHS-Henderson on Friday, will be Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Nederland.

Kilgore would then face the winner in the area round, either in a one-game playoff or in a best-of-three-game series.

The Bulldogs will host Lindale in a playoff warm-up on Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

Friday night against Henderson, the Lions had a bit of a boisterous crowd in the Driller Park stands. They had hoped, no doubt, to see the Lions (3-11 in 17-4A) get another win over Kilgore - Henderson had handed KHS its only loss of the district schedule on April 4.

Still, after that game, Kilgore felt it had the better team. Friday night, the 'Dogs left no doubt.

Kilgore put up four runs in the bottom half of the first inning. Center fielder Jaron Shepherd drew a lead-off walk, then scored on a double by Whitmer, who was 4-for-4, to the center field wall. Kyle Shipp grounded out, but advanced Andrew Ector, running for Whitmer, to third base. Ector scored on a single by left fielder Shea Calico to make it 2-0.

Senior designated hitter Eddie Jones singled, then scored, as did Calico, on a two-out single by third baseman Chase Patterson, giving KHS the 4-0 advantage.

The 'Dogs added three more runs in the fourth. Shortstop Daren Chappell singled to lead off, then advanced on a bunt base-hit by second baseman

Steven McBryde. Chappell then scored on a single by Shepherd, and McBryde on a fielder's choice hit by Shipp, who reached safely on the play. Calico got his second RBI of the night when he hit a single to score Shepherd, and Shipp scored on a sacrifice fly by Jones, who had a special honor in the middle of the fourth inning.

Jones presented a baseball, signed by the entire team and coaching staff, to the parents of Luke Lollie, a former Kilgore student athlete who was killed in a car accident on Easter weekend, 2003. Lollie would have been a senior this school year.

Kilgore finished the Lions off in the bottom of the sixth. Whitmer doubled, and then Ector, running for him again, scored on a single by Shipp, who has a five-game hitting streak. Calico and Jones both drew walks, and catcher Jered Price hit a bases-loaded single that scored two, giving Kilgore 10 runs and ending the game.

Whitmer went the distance in a dominating performance, allowing just one hit (to Henderson's Ross Flanagan, a double in the top of the sixth). He walked five.