Bulldogs hang on, get win, and are back in third
Still in three-way tie with Henderson, Marshall; four games left - at PT Tuesday
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

Photo by Lester Murray RAZOR SHARPE - Kilgore's Danny Sharpe (left), shown here pitching earlier this week, had a big night against Jacksonville on Friday. Sharpe didn't pitch - he played first base. But his bat did the talking. He had a home run and a double, finished with 4 RBI, and helped Kilgore to a 5-4 win over the Indians. Kilgore is 5-5 in District 12-4A, in a three-way tie for third place with Henderson and Marshall, and has four games left to wrap up that playoff spot. The Bulldogs have made the playoffs for five straight seasons.

Don't write the Kilgore High School baseball team out of the playoffs just yet.

After a couple of games where things didn't go their way, the Diamond 'Dogs got a few good bounces, made their own good luck and left Jacksonville with a 10-9 victory on Friday night.

And maybe just as important, the teams that were one game in front of them - Henderson and Marshall - both lost, meaning Kilgore, Henderson and Marshall are all tied for third place in District 12-4A, the final playoff spot.

Jacksonville has the worst record in the district, but that didn't stop the Indians from giving Kilgore all it could handle until the final pitch.

"They played pretty good, especially there toward the end," Kilgore head coach Jeff Blackstone said of Jacksonville. "We were able to hold them off, or it would have been a different story."

Danny Sharpe had 4 RBI on the night. He had a two-run home run over the 375 sign in center field, his first homer of the year, and added a double in the sixth inning.

Andrew Ector also had a double for Kilgore. The Bulldogs scored a run in the first inning, went down 2-1, but quickly took a 5-2

lead. The Diamond 'Dogs weathered a six-run spurt by the Indians in the sixth inning, then shut them out completely in the seventh, thanks to a fresh Trace DeBerry.

Ryan Heimer started the game on the mound and pitched a very good game for five innings, Blackstone said. Jacksonville made its run, and DeBerry moved to the mound. He struck out the first batter he faced, got the next batter to ground out, then struck out the final batter to end Jacksonville's threat and the game.

There are just four regularseason games left for KHS to grab that final playoff spot. Kilgore begins that stretch with a road game at Pine Tree in Longview on Tuesday night, a 6 p.m. start. The Bulldogs will host Hallsville on Friday, then finish the regular season the next week with a road game at Henderson April 22, and a home game against Marshall on Friday, April 25.

"We really want that game with Marshall to mean something," Blackstone said. "We haven't played that well lately, but we've still got a chance."

Nacogdoches, ranked 10th in the state in Class 4A, leads the district with a 9-1 record. Hallsville is 8-2 in district play, and then Kilgore, Henderson and Marshall are tied at 5-5, in that tie for third.

Pine Tree could have forced a four-way third-place tie, but lost to Whitehouse on Friday, 12-5. Whitehouse is on a twogame winning streak, but has the second-worst record in the district after getting off to a bad start. Jacksonville is in the district cellar.