Bad night for Kilgore vs. Nac
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL & SOFTBALL
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

POW! - Kilgore freshman Jalissa Baggett (left) pops a ball up into the air during an at-bat Tuesday night against Nacogdoches. Below: Andrew Ector tries to get a hit off Nac's Eric Opperman during the baseball game between the two at Driller Park. Nac left with the last laugh in both games, keeping Kilgore winless in district play in softball and putting another loss on the Diamond 'Dogs' record. The good news for Kilgore baseball is that they are only one game out of third place. Both KHS teams visit Jacksonville, both 6 p.m. starts, on Friday.

Neither Kilgore High School diamond team is likely to mark April 8, 2008 as one of their favorite days on the calendar.

Both KHS teams lost at home to Nacogdoches yesterday in games moved up an hour to try and avoid rain-outs. As it turned out, rainouts might have been better.

The Bulldogs, who had been contending for the District 12-4A baseball playoffs, were run-ruled, 11-1, in five innings, and the Lady Bulldogs, while they played better, also lost to Nac, 5-1.

Both Kilgore teams will be on the road Friday at Jacksonville - both games are to start at 6 p.m.

Photos by Lester Murray

• Nac 11, Kilgore 1 (baseball): The Bulldogs got off to a rough start in the top of the first inning against the 12-4A leader. The Dragons surprised Kilgore ace Danny Sharpe with five hits in the inning, including two 2-RBI doubles by third baseman Justin McAninch and by center fielder Chase Wallace. By the time the nightmare of the in- ning was over, KHS trailed 7-0. Sharpe threw 68 pitches in the first inning; Nac counterpart Eric Opperman threw just six.

Opperman didn't dominate, by any means, but he gave the KHS lineup a hard time. The Bulldogs managed just three hits off him: catcher Chris Dudley had a single in the bottom of the second; left fielder Trevor Moon had a single in the bottom of the third; and Trace DeBerry had a hit in the bottom of the third that scored a run (Moon).

Sharpe allowed nine hits, seven earned runs, walked five, and threw 132 total pitches. Opperman threw just 61.

Last week the Bulldogs were in a three-way tie for third place with Marshall and Henderson. The good news is that both of those teams also lost last night, too (Henderson to Hallsville, 16-10, and Marshall to Pine Tree, 5-3). That means the Bulldogs (10-9 overall, 4-5 in district play) are still just one game out of third place.

• Nac 5, Kilgore 1 (softball): Playing better but still losing isn't much consolation normally, but when you're looking for every little positive thing, it is.

Kilgore (4-17 overall, 0-10 in district play) hadn't had much offense in the four games leading up to Tuesday's game against Nac, but the Lady Bulldogs managed six hits against the Lady Dragons, all by different players. Brianna Sanders, Gena Andrews, Candace Meadows, Meagan Youngblood, Alyssa McKinney and Navjit Kaur each had a hit in the game.

Also, freshman Valarie Kornegay pitched well again, her second varsity start.