PT outlasts scrappy Lady 'Dogs
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
By MITCH LUCAS sport@kilgorenewsherald.com

Photo by Lester Murray SNAGGED IT - Brianna Sanders (above) makes a play for the Kilgore High School softball team. Sanders had a good night at the plate in the Lady 'Dogs' 6- 2 loss to Pine Tree on Tuesday night, going 2-for-3, including a double.

Pine Tree High School's softball team did get a win over Kilgore High on Tuesday night in Longview, but they had to work for it.

And while it's not good the Lady Bulldogs lost, it is good that they put up a fight.

Kilgore led early, was tied with Pine Tree for some time, and then finally lost, 6-2.

For some time, the Lady Bulldogs were a dominant force in their district, but are currently in rebuilding mode, with a young lineup. They picked up their first win of the District 12-4A schedule Friday in Jacksonville, and have been playing better of late, both defensively and at the plate.

"I've been really proud of them," said head coach Cassie Newell, in her second year. "We've been putting the bat on the ball a lot more. We were striking out, before that, a ridiculous amount of times. But we're putting the bat on the ball better. ...They beat us 13-1 in the first game. So far (in the second round), we're doing better against teams than we did (in the first round)."

Brianna Sanders went 2-for-4 for KHS in the contest, one of those being a double, and also had an RBI. Shortstop Whitney Brown, the team's only senior, went 2-for-3 and scored. Catcher Jalissa Baggett had a double, and left fielder Gena Andrews had a single. Baggett and Andrews are two of the team's freshmen, and Sanders is just a sophomore. She gave KHS an early lead when she scored on an error after reaching on a double. PT took a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the inning, and then KHS scored and tied the game at 2-all when Brown scored on a single by Sanders.

PT led 3-2 for much of the game following the second inning, and then had a big sixth inning, scoring three more runs to put the game away.

Meagan Youngblood took the loss for Kilgore on the mound, but the junior didn't play poorly at all, Newell said.

"She actually did very well," the coach graded. "She had a couple of big defensive plays."

Kilgore is scheduled to host its season finale here Friday, taking on Hallsville. Game time is 6 p.m., and Brown will be honored at senior night shortly before the first pitch.