SPORTS
Bowie gets revenge on Breckenridge despite lightning delay
Bowie baseball’s eventual win Saturday night against Breckenridge due to a lightning delay on Friday more than midway through the game does not disguise the fact that it was a much needed win for the Jackrabbits.
Bowie won 8-4, scoring four runs after play was resumed the next night in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Jackrabbits knew it was a big game. The Buckaroos had won the first matchup on their home field 11-8. Losing both games would mean a lower playoff seed for Bowie.
Breckenridge started the game off taking the lead. An error proceeded a leadoff walk that scored the first run. A single and a successful bunt for a hit scored another run to put the Buckaroos up 2-0.
Another bunt would have scored a run, but the Jackrabbits got the out at home for the second out. A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance into scoring position, but thankfully pitcher Kawlyer Swearingin forced a ground out to end the tough opening inning.
Besides Devin Melton drawing a walk with one out, the other three batters for Bowie hit balls right to Breckenridge players for outs as the game moved to the second inning.
The Buckaroo leadoff batter was allowed to get on due to a fielding error. Swearingin followed with two straight strike outs. A third strike out followed, but a dropped third strike allowed the runner to get on and put two runners on base. Thankfully, Swearingin struck out the next batter to get out of the situation.
Despite Cade Thompson leading off with a single and later stealing second base, the next three batters hit balls right to Breckenridges defense again as Bowie’s bats continued to struggle.
The Buckaroos managed a two out single to try and spark a rally in the top of the third inning, but Swearingin forced a fly out to center field for the third out.
Edgar Regalado drew a leadoff walk for the Jackrabbits. After stealing second base, a sacrifice bunt moved him to third base. After a pop up for out two, Swearingin came through hitting a single to left field to drive in Regalado, cutting the lead to 2-1.
Logan Hutson followed to put runners at the corners. Unfortunately, the next batter grounded out for the third out.
Only drawing a one out walk was the only thing of note for the Buckaroos in the fourth inning.
Bowie had Colton Richey get on base thanks to an error with one out. A.J. Whatley followed by getting hit by a pitch. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position.
Carson Sanders then came through with a hit into the outfield.
Some trouble corralling the ball after it came down not only allowed one run to score, but two and Sanders to advance to second base. The Jackrabbits led 3-2 before a strike out ended the fourth inning.
Bowie changed pitchers and Richey had trouble at first. A leadoff walk led to steal, then a single drove in the runner to tie the game at 3-3.
A hit batter and a sacrifice bunt moved two base runners into scoring position. A strike out and a pop out to the pitcher ended things before Breckenridge was allowed to take the lead.
Swearingin led off for Bowie with a single. After a groundout, Thompson was allowed to get on base thanks to an error at third base.
Kynan DeMoss hit into a fielder’s choice that got the runner out at second base and put runners on the corners. DeMoss tried to steal second base. The Buckaroos tried to pick him off, but an error allowed Swearingin to score and take back the lead 4-3 before a fly out ended the fifth inning.
Breckenridge was allowed to load the bases with a single and two drawn walks. With two outs, a single drove in one run to tie the game up at 4-4. A fly out to left field followed to end things before it got worse.
It was during this time when the game was delayed due to lightning. With the heavy rains and lightning that followed, the game was delayed until the next night.
Bowie came out ready to play and take advantage of any mistake from Breckenridge. Whatley and Regalado led off the bottom of the sixth inning by getting hit by pitches. Sanders followed with a single that drove in a run to break up the tie. Sanders then stole second base, but an errant throw trying to prevent it allowed Regalado to score. Sanders would then get caught trying to steal third base.
Melton then drew a walk followed by Swearingin hitting a two-run home run to stretch the Jackrabbits lead to 8-4.
Hutson followed with a walk. Brody Armstrong would come in to run bases and would steal second base, but the next two batters were retired to end the sixth inning.
Richey did not start off the seventh promising as he hit the leadoff batter. Thankfully, he followed by retiring the next three batters with little trouble as Bowie won the game.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week 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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