Hallsville sweeps Kilgore
Baseball has to win out to make playoffs; Brown honored
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

GOOD PLAY, BUT... - Kilgore shortstop Steven McBryde (left) makes the tag at second base on Hallsville's Justin Roye (7). But Roye and the Bobcats left Driller Park with a 5-3 win over the Bulldogs on Friday night. Kilgore is still chasing a playoff berth, however. Below: KHS senior Whitney Brown (center) was honored before the school's softball team finished its 2008 season. Brown, the team's only senior, was joined by her parents, Mike and Jennifer Brown, and presented with a few gifts. Whitney is on her way to Texas A&M University.

Well, one thing is certain following Kilgore High School's baseball loss to Hallsville on Friday night at Driller Park: the Bulldogs know what they need to do this week, the final week of the regular season.

Kilgore dropped a 5-3 decision to Hallsville last night - not an overpowering win by the Bobcats, but a win, nonetheless - and complicating matters, Marshall upset district-leading Nacogdoches, 2-1.

That means Marshall, now, is in the driver's seat for the third and final playoff spot in District 12- 4A (with Nac and Hallsville tied for first). All the district's teams have just two games left to play, and ironically, Kilgore's games are against the two teams the Bulldogs are racing for third.

Kilgore (12-10 overall, 6-6 in district play) will travel to Henderson on Tuesday night, and then finish the regular season with a home game against Marshall on Friday. Kilgore controls its own destiny. If the Bulldogs win out, they will claim the playoff spot, and make the Class 4A postseason for the sixth straight year. But Marshall also controls its destiny, and if the Mavericks win out, they go.

Kilgore could make the playoffs even with a loss to Henderson on Tuesday, but the Bulldogs would need Marshall to lose on Tuesday as well (Whitehouse), and then beat the Mavericks on Friday.

Also on Friday night, the KHS softball team finished its 2008 season, a 16-0 loss to district champion Hallsville.

• Hallsville 5, Kilgore 3 (baseball): Kilgore man- aged to escape the first two innings without the Bobcats scoring a run, but Hallsville finally did get on the scoreboard in the top of the third.

KHS pitcher Ryan Heimer struck out Hallsville's Trey Bosecker to begin the inning, but then the Bobcats got to the top of the lineup, and third baseman Justin Wingfield reached on an error. Heimer walked shortstop Justin Roye, and then catcher Josh Schattel reached on a second Bulldogs error to load the bases for pitcher Trevor Peterson.

Peterson came through, a one-out, 2-RBI single that scored Wingfield and Roye and gave the Bobcats a 2-0 advantage.

The 'Cats added a third run in the fourth inning. Left fielder Jordan Paramore walked, advanced to second on a good bunt by Bosecker, and then scored on a double by Wingfield.

Kilgore cut into Hallsville's 3-1 lead in the bottom half of the fourth. Third baseman Trace DeBerry led off with a double, and then after two Bulldogs were put away, first baseman Danny Sharpe managed an RBI single to score DeBerry. Nick Sullivan also singled for Kilgore before Peterson struck out Jared Alexander to get out of the inning.

Paramore stole home (on an executed double-steal) to give Hallsville a 4-1 lead in the fifth, and then the Bulldogs had their best inning offensively. Left fielder Trevor Moon singled, and leadoff man Andrew Ector singled to follow him. Both runners advanced to second and third on the throw back to the infield.

DeBerry, who had a good night, singled, scoring both Moon and Ector, and then Steven McBryde laid down a good bunt that scored DeBerry, bringing Kilgore within a run, 4-3. Peterson pulled another strikeout out of his hat and got Chris Dudley to end the inning and the KHS threat.

Hallsville got an insurance run in the top of the sixth. Paramore singled, and would later score on a single by Schattel, giving the 'Cats a 5-3 lead.

Kilgore couldn't manage a hit in the final two innings, though, and suffered the defeat.

Hallsville scored five runs on eight hits, stranded 10 baserunners and committed one error. The Bulldogs scored three runs on seven hits, committed two errors and stranded five runners.

Heimer took the loss for Kilgore, allowing six hits, five runs (four earned), and struck out one over 5 1/3 innings. DeBerry pitched for 1 2/3 innings, allowing two hits, no runs, struck out one and walked one.

For Hallsville, Peterson went the distance, allowing seven hits and three runs over seven innings. He walked none, and struck out 11, throwing 90 pitches to do so.

• Hallsville 16, Kilgore 0 (softball): Before this game, the Lady Bulldogs paid tribute to their only senior, Whitney Brown. And unfortunately for KHS and their fans, that was pretty much the highlight of the evening.

The season's done for the Lady Bulldogs, who had the unfortunate task of trying to derail the LadyCats' juggernaut. Hallsville, which has dominated the district all season, came into Friday's game with a perfect 13-0 record in district play, and finished it perfect, as well.

The LadyCats wound up with 19 hits to Kilgore's four. Hallsville had clinched the district's title three or four wins ago, and goes into the 4A playoffs as the district's top seed (with a bye). Marshall and Whitehouse were to play on Saturday afternoon at Pine Tree High School to determine the seeding for the remaining two playoff spots.

Temporarily gone are the days where Kilgore ruled the softball district - the Lady 'Dogs not having a junior varsity team for so long, combined with losses due to graduation, set them back. But second-year coach Cassie Newell can take heart: she has a lot of talent returning, and many of them are freshmen.