SPORTS
Walk off propels fifth straight win
After almost giving the game away, the Bowie softball team won Tuesday at home against Paradise in dramatic fashion with a walk-off RBI for their fifth straight win.
Callie Melton came through with an RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh to give the Lady Rabbits a 5-4 win and to keep the streak alive.
It did not seem the game was going to have a dramatic finish as Bowie seemed firmly in control heading into the final inning.
Despite a leadoff double from Paradise, Lady Rabbit pitcher Kalee Case forced a ground out and two strikeouts to leave the runner stranded on third. Bowie’s Taylor McCarty got on base with a single and was worked to third base, but also was left stranded as well to end the first inning.
Paradise hitters were set down one-two-three in the top of the second. Kylie Fleming drew a walk with one out, but was called out when she left the base too early. The next batter grounded out to end the inning.
After forcing another one-two-three inning, all on ground outs, the Lady Rabbits were able to load the bases. Season Eudey drew a walk, McCarty reached base on an error and Katelyn Allison drew a walk. Unfortunately, the next batter struck out to end the third inning with the game still scoreless.
The Lady Panthers got their leadoff runner on base with a fly ball in the outfield. With it being a really windy day, the ball got away from the outfielder for an error. It would not be the last time.
Fortunately, Case was able to force the next batter into a double play. The next two batters drew a walk and was hit by a pitch, but Case was able to force a fly out to center field. A two out single from Melton did not lead to anything as the game was still scoreless heading into the fifth inning.
Case kept Paradise hitters in the infield at the top of the fifth, including showing great reaction on a ball hit right at her for an out. She was able to keep Lady Panthers hitters off balance by mixing her speeds well and forcing a lot of ground balls.
In the bottom of the fifth, Bowie got their offense rolling. Emily Cox led off with a single up the middle. Maylie Short reached first on an error. McCarty drove in Cox with ground ball up the middle. Short and McCarty ended up on second and third with no outs.
Next batter Allison hit a ground ball to the second baseman, who decided to throw home to try to prevent Short from scoring. This allowed Allison the chance to not just be safe at first, but continued on second. The catcher then threw the ball to second base to try to get Allison out. This provided the opportunity for McCarty to score from third to put Bowie up 3-0.
Next batter Chelsey Ketchum tried to move Allison with a bunt down the third baseline. Ketchum was safe at first, but Allison could not advance. Still with no outs, Carrington Davis hit a line drive to score Allison from second to put the Lady Rabbits up 4-0.
With two runners on base and no outs, it looked like Bowie would be able to score more. Unfortunately, the next three batters had two strikeouts and a fly out to end the fifth inning.
Paradise came out ready to answer in the top of the sixth. A leadoff single put a runner on base. The next batter grounded into a fielder’s choice but the next hit a single to get two runners on.
After Case forced the next batter to pop out to third, both runners were still on second and first. A passed ball allowed both base runners to advance to second and third but Case forced the batter to ground out to third to get out of the inning.
With two outs, McCarty and Allison drew consecutive walks to get on base, but the Lady Rabbits could not take advantage of it as the next batter grounded out.
Still, Bowie was three outs away from sealing the win and the defense had been able to hold every time Paradise had come close to scoring so far. Spirits on Bowie’s side was high.
The first batter grounded out to the pitcher Case. The next batter hit a tough ground ball that McCarty fielded at short stop up the middle. Unfortunately, there was no time to for a throw.
The next batter drilled a ball into center field. Caught up in the wind, the ball got by the outfielder and the batter legged out a triple. The runner on first scored to put the Lady Panthers on the board and cut the lead to 4-1. They still had a long way to go and the Lady Rabbits were still confident.
The next batter lined out to pitcher Case for the second out. With only one out left, things still looked good. Paradise next hit a ball out into right field. The ball got past the outfielder and allowed the runner at third to score. The batter ended up on second with a double with the lead cut to 4-2.
The next batter hit a fly ball out into right field again. It got caught up in the wind and went over the outfielders head. She also mishandled the ball next to the wall for an error. This allowed the runner at second to score and the batter was waved home as well, beating the throw home as she legged out an inside the park home run to tie the game at 4-4.
Short came in to pitch and forced the next batter to fly out to center field to end the inning. The mood was different. The happy-go-lucky attitude heading into the final inning was gone for the girls on Bowie’s side. It was replaced with what turned out to be a focused one heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Davis led off for the Lady Rabbits. She had to find a way on base one way or another. She hit a ground ball to third base. It was mishandled by the third baseman. Davis, not the fastest runner, made it to first in time to get on base. She was subbed for the quick footed Jayci Logan to be the base runner.
Next batter Fleming did her job by laying down a good sacrifice bunt down the third baseline. She was out at first, but Logan was now in scoring position with only one out.
Melton had gone one for three with a single so far in the game. She showed discipline laying off the first three pitches out of the zone. She struck on a pitch in the zone and fouled it off. Next pitch was also in the zone and she drilled it into the gap.
Logan easily scored from second and Melton made it to third before getting mobbed by her team as the game was over. Bowie won 5-4.
To read more, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News
A solid day was had by Montague county high school tracksters at the State Track and Field Meet May 16 in Austin.
Bellevue’s Mattie Broussard had a pair of second place finishes in both the 800-meter run with a time of 2:21.41 and the 3,200-meter run with a time of 11:31.33. Broussard also was 4th in the 1,600-meters with a time of 5:22.18.
Her teammate Brylie Hager was 9th in the 110-meter hurdles in 19.93.
Forestburg’s Brenna Briles was 4th in the triple jump with a 35’9 1’2” leap. Her teammate Jocelyn Rich was 4th in the pole vault with a 9’ leap.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Bowie had a pair of top four finishes at the State Track and Field Meet May 14.
Sophomore Brayden Willett made it onto the medal stand, finishing 3rd in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:17.89. Bowie junior Tyler Richey finished 4th in the pole vault after a 14’6” effort.
The top two finishers from Holliday, also in Bowie’s district, celebrated with him after he crossed the finish line.
“It was kind of surprising,” Willett said about Ryder and Noah Stroman embracing him in a celebratory hug. “They’re good guys, so it was kind of cool.”
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
This past week found your outdoor scribe doing some rather mundane things such as yard work, vegetable gardening and repairs around the old cabin. Oh, I also wrapped up a couple of magazine articles. I always enjoy sharing my adventures with all of you in this column but to be perfectly honest, not nearly as much as my ‘field work’ hunting and fishing which is an iatrical part of any good outdoor column. If you’re like me, you much prefer reading about an adventure that you can also partake.
I am far more comfortable telling you about an outdoor experience I had firsthand knowledge of rather than the reporting part of my job as an outdoor communicator. So, this week, I’d do a bit of ‘reporting’ and share some planned adventures I have scheduled for the next couple weeks. By the time you’re reading this, I will have already been in the woods in quest of a fat ‘eater’ hog and probably have some freshly caught blue catfish fillets in the freezer, details will follow in the next couple of weeks.
I’ll kick things off early in the week heading down to my friend Jeff Rice’s Buck and Bass Ranch located on the upper end of Lake Fork. Jeff produces our weekly TV show “A Sportsman’s Life” which airs on Carbon TV and YouTube. Our plan is to film a segment of our show on stalking wild hogs. It will be a challenge to capture the shot with all the thick grown spring vegetation. It could happen fast and require a fast shot. We will be breaking in my CVA Cascade scout rifle in 308 caliber. This short barrel little rifle is light and easy to handle in thick cover, ideal for this type of hunting. Our plan is to hit the woods during the last couple hours of daylight and ease along the trails, watching and especially listening for hogs. Wild porkers are vocal critters and it’s common to hear them before seeing them. We will play the wind and attempt to get downwind and then close the distance for a shot but you can never guess how a hog hunt will unfold. Wild pork or not, Jeff and I always have a great time together and I plan to bring a side of wild pork ribs already slow smoked and covered in brown sugar and BBQ sauce with a side of camp baked beans!
After a tasty dinner we plan to get a good night’s sleep and head out the next morning for a planned fishing trip with guide David Hanson at Lake Tawakoni. Both channel and blue catfish are on a very good bite right but it’s hard to pass up those snow white blue catfish fillets when the bite is good. David is, to my knowledge, the most veteran catfish guide on the lake and became friends close to a quarter-century ago when we first began fishing
together. The plan is to use freshy cut shad in shallow water and target eater size blues weighing between 2 and about 10 pounds but as every catfish angler knows, it’s always possible to connect with a big trophy size blue when fishing Tawakoni.
Next week, I plan to join my long-time friend J.C. McCollough on the Red River below the Texoma dam. I’ve been fishing and hunting with J.C. for many years and look forward to getting with him again. I would describe this to catching big catfish in a barrel but in this case the deep holes in the river are comprised of several acres. The water level in the river below Texoma are dictated by the water release at the dam by the Corp of Engineers. When there is a current in the river, fish move upstream to feed on baitfish coming through the dam. When the water recedes, they fish move into the deeper holes where baitfish also seek refuge from the falling water. Catching will be fast paced with the chance to connect with some big fish as well as limits of “eater” size fish. We’ll be rigging with big live gizzard shad fished weightless on a free line, using medium spinning gear. The bigger fish will often nail the frisky live shad and the fresh cut bait is a sure way to connect with lots of smaller fish. There is something very exciting about fishing big live baits on a slack line. One minute your bait will be darting around and you will occasionally feel it taking up slack and the next when a big blue catfish grabs the bait, the rod will bow and the fight will be on. There is usually no ‘setting the hook’, by the time you feel the fish, it will already be hooked and making a strong run to the nearest submerged brush. Your job will be to keep the drag set just enough to keep pressure on the fish but not so much as to cause the line to break.
J.C. uses his airboat to access these deeper holes because of the very shallow water. While it’s not impossible to portage a kayak or small boat in the river, it often requires a few miles travel to get to these deep holes, this is best accomplished by experienced kayakers with plenty of endurance. There was a time when I was game for this type fishing but I much prefer to do my river fishing these days from a boat designed to negotiate the shallow waters.
Squirrel season is underway in many of the east Texas counties and there’s some pretty good fox squirrel hunting here close to home in Kaufman county and I’ve been thinking about how tasty a big skillet of smothered squirrel with rice, gravy and biscuits would be. Bream are on the beds now and my friend Edgar Cotton invited me to come do some ‘perch jerking’ with him and his son David-it’s in the plans! Well, hopefully next week I will have a ‘sure nuff’ adventure of two to relate you you-I’m ready to get some relief from all this work around the homeplace! LC
You can contact Tawakoni/Fork catfish guide David Hanson at 902-268-7391. Contact J.C. McCollough at 580-372-0320.
Listen to Luke’s podcast, “Catfish Radio” just about everywhere podcast are found.
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