A bittersweet night
Kilgore High School diamond teams split with Marshall; Diamond 'Dogs team back in third
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

Photos by Lester Murray IT'S GONNA BE CLOSE - Kilgore shortstop Whitney Brown (background) is just about to make a catch at second base, as Marshall's Kelly Skelton pays a visit. Skelton was safe on the play - barely - in Tuesday's game here at Stream-Flo Field. Marshall won the District 12-4A game, 12-0. Below: Kilgore catcher Chris Dudley tries to make a tag as a Henderson player nears home plate. The Bulldogs bounced back from that Saturday loss to Henderson to beat Marshall, 7-3, in Marshall on Tuesday night. Kilgore, Marshall and Henderson are logjammed, tied for third place, in the district standings. Both Kilgore teams will host Whitehouse on Friday night - both games will begin at 6 p.m.

After Saturday's home loss to Henderson, the Kilgore High School baseball team was about as low as you could get. They dropped out of a tie for third place, the final playoff spot, in District 12-4A, and were faced with trying to get back into that tie by having to get a win on the road on Tuesday.

The mission wasn't an easy one, but it was accomplished, as Kilgore came home from Marshall with a 7-3 win on Tuesday.

That victory did move the Bulldogs back into a three-way tie for third place with Marshall and Henderson, each with 4-3 district records. Henderson beat Jacksonville on Tuesday night. District leader Nacogdoches outlasted Whitehouse in eight innings, and Hallsville defeated Pine Tree.

Kilgore High's softball team didn't fare as well, dropping a 12-0 decision to Marshall in five innings.

Both Kilgore teams will be home against Whitehouse on Friday, both with 6 p.m. starts. For the baseball team, that will mark the start of the second round of district play.

• Kilgore 7, Marshall 3 (baseball): The Bulldogs jumped out to a 5-1 lead, then had to hold off the Mavericks.

Kilgore played much better against Marshall in various phases of the game than the Bulldogs did in the loss to Henderson. KHS committed no errors, and had 13 hits. "We played well," coach Jeff Blackstone said.

Catcher Chris Dudley went 2-for-3 with a double, and pitcher Danny Sharpe, who went the distance on the mound and pitched 141 pitches, went 3-for-4 at the plate, one of those three an RBI double that scored shortstop Steven McBryde. Nick Sullivan, in his first start of the year, went 3-for-4 as well. Sullivan started at second base in place of the injured Jared Alexander.

Will Mixon also started for the Bulldogs in center field and did a nice job, Blackstone said.

Sharpe struck out the side in the sixth, and struck out two in the seventh. He had eight strikeouts total, and gave up five hits over the seven innings. He walked three.

"It wasn't his strongest outing, but he did pitch pretty well late," Blackstone graded.

The schedule plays out in Kilgore's favor. The Bulldogs will host all three teams that are in front of them, or tied with them, in the second round, except Henderson.

• Marshall 12, Kilgore 0 (softball): After a poor first inning in which they allowed four runs, the Lady Bulldogs (4-16 overall, 0-8 in district play) settled down and played good defense for the lion's share of the game.

Then came the top of the fifth, where they allowed eight runs, all eight scoring after Kilgore had recorded two outs.

Meagan Youngblood took the loss for Kilgore. She allowed eight hits, and five of those came in that horrendous top of the fifth. She struck out three.

Amanda Harmond got the win for Marshall. Harmond had 11 strikeouts, including striking out the side in the third inning.

Kilgore had two hits: an infield single by senior Whitney Brown in the second, and a single by left fielder Gena Andrews in the the fifth.