SPORTS
Baseball, softball teams start season

Bowie baseball
The Bowie baseball team finally got to start its season on Tuesday with a win against Callisburg.
The Jackrabbits won 9-1 in Coach Tyler Price’s first game at the helm, picking up his first win of his career.
“Our pitchers threw a lot of strikes, got ahead in the count most of the time and our defense did a good job of making routine plays behind them,” Price said. “Offensively, our approach at the plate has plenty of room to improve, but we came up with big hits in key situations which were nice to see.”
Like every team, Bowie is trying to bounce back after a lost season last year that was cut off by COVID-19. Last year’s young team is one year older, but that valuable playing time was lost.
The team will be counting on Kawler Swearingin, Devin Melton, Colton Richey, Parker Price, Cade Thompson, Logan Hutson, Jacob Fallis and Brae Ogle in various different roles.
Some young athletic sophomores moving up include Carson Sanders, Brody Armstrong and A.J. Whatley.
Price expects this team to be led by its strength in its defense and pitching.
“Our biggest area of improvement that I am looking to see for this year is our mentality and approach at the plate,” Price said. “I feel like we are going to be strong defensively and our pitching depth is a huge strength. I want to see us improve our approach at the plate and not just try to step in the box and hit it over the fence every time.”
Bowie’s next game is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Feb. 27 at Graham.
Bowie softball
The Bowie Lady Rabbits got to start their season on Tuesday with a home game against a tough Burkburnett team.
The Lady Rabbits lost a high scoring game 13-9 against the Lady Tigers.
Gracie Duke led Bowie with three RBIs while she hit a double. Alexa Holzer drove in two more runs. Unfortunately, the team struck out 13 times.
Defensively, the team committed eight errors and walked seven batters which is always a bad recipe.
Coming off a more than a week break due to extreme weather conditions, it was not completely unexpected though.
New Coach Michael Dansby sees this season as a rebuilding year with a young team overall. With a lost season from last year due to COVID-19, the early season will be especially important for this group to grow together.
Players Dansby is expecting big things from are Kenzie Short, Duke, Holzer, Hannah Love, Rylie Vieth, Stephanie Allen and Kaylie Kinney.
More girls are expected to join this week, coming over from basketball.
Bowie competes in its first tournament this weekend at Wichita Falls.
Nocona baseball
The Nocona Indians started their season off after a week’s delay with a win against Collinsville on Tuesday.
The Indians won 17-7 against the Pirates to start their season off on the right note.
The team was led offensively by Wesley Murphy and Colton Rusell driving in four runners apiece. Kooper Hansard and Vinit Patel also drove in three runs apiece as the team had its way against Collinsville’s pitching.
Murphy and Hansard split time on the mound, each pitching three innings and striking out six hitters each.
New Coach Leslie Rinehart was proud of the win and how his team put the ball in the play, but is hoping for more out of his pitching and defense. He hopes this is the season that turns the program towards more success.
“This is season we are fairly young so we need to get those guys used to varsity baseball and playing at a higher level,” Rinehart said. “We want to get better every day and work toward getting in the playoffs. Nocona hasn’t been in the playoffs in 16 years I believe so that a big team goal.”
Rinehart is expecting big things from seniors Colton Russell and Vinit Patel and along with experienced junior Kooper Hansard.
Nocona plays in its first tournament this weekend at the Bell’s Invitational.
Nocona softball
The Nocona Lady Indians opened their season with a close win against Quanah on Wednesday.
The Lady Indians won 7-6 against Quanah after leading for most of the game.
Nocona’a MaKenna Nobile drove in two runs to lead the team. Laci Stone, Paige James and Logan Patterson drove in one run apiece to also help the offense along.
Stone struck out 10 batters in her five innings while walking only one batter. Paige James came in to pitch the final two innings to pick up the win.
New Coach Tanya Samples thought her team looked sharp considering the team had a week off due to bad weather that delayed the start of the season.
“We are really focusing on our state of mind,” Samples said. “Hustle, but don’t rush. Just like in all sports communication is key to make sure we are all on the same page moving toward the same goal. We are looking to improve everytime we touch the field and that is what we will do. State of mind.”
Nocona softball has been improving little by little in the last several years. Last year the team was looking good heading into district play before COVID-19 canceled the season.
A lot of players return and are looking to surprise teams this year, with a playoff berth being a good goal in the usually tough district.
Nocona is scheduled to play at noon on Feb. 27 in Hirchi.
SPORTS
Baseball Roundup

Nocona
The Nocona Indians ended their regular season with a sweep of Alvord to secure a number one seed heading into the playoffs.
The Indians won 13-6 and 3-1 to earn the top seed in the big school division in the playoffs.
With that much on the line despite already securing a playoff spot the previous week, Nocona had a lot to play for in its final regular season series.
The Bulldogs got on the board first with two runs, but the Indians answered with nine runs in the bottom of the first inning to retake the lead 9-2.
Both teams scored one run in the third inning before Nocona scored three runs in the fourth inning to go up 13-3. Alvord was able to extend the game and avoid getting run-ruled by scoring two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth inning.
The Indian bats were cold in the final three innings, but the defense bounced back to shut out the Bulldogs in the seventh inning to win 13-6.
RJ Walker and Jayce Lehde each drove in three runs to lead the team while Ladon Fatheree and Zyrus Moreno both drove in two runs. Nocona finished with nine hits and drew nine walks during the game.
On the mound, Walker Murphey pitched six innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on 12 hits while striking out one and walking two.
The second game was more a pitcher’s duel that had far less action scoring runs.
The Indians scored first in the second inning with one run, but Alvord tied the game with one run in the fourth inning. Nocona answered with two runs in the fifth inning and held on to win 3-1.
Lehde and Fatheree drove in one run each while Murphey scored the other run on the basepaths thanks to a wild pitch. Nocona had only two hits while the team drew seven walks.
Walker helped carry the team on the mound, pitching the whole game while giving up one run on four hits and striking out 13 batters. The defense committed no fielding errors.
Bellevue
The Bellevue Eagles ended their season on Monday this week, losing some tough games on the way out before closing with a win.
The Eagles lost to Perrin-Whitt 13-1, to Bryson 17-2 before beating Saint Jo 7-2 to end the season on a high note.
Bellevue struggled against the two other 1A teams in its district in its previous matchups as both teams are heading towards the playoffs. Both the Pirates and Cowboys proved it once again in the final matchup on April 22 and Monday before playing a team more on its level.
The Eagles and Panthers were 1-1 against each other this season. Playing after Bellevue’s loss to against Bryson right before on Saint Jo’s home field, the Eagles wanted revenge.
Bellevue got it with a 7-2 win against the Panthers to end both team’s season and this year improve the series 2-1 in the Eagles favor.
River Trail led the team with two RBIs while Hunter Blackburn had a team high two hits.
The team finished with seven hits and drew 10 walks.
On the mound, Bryce Ramsey allowed two runs on nine hits while striking out seven and walking five. The defense committed one fielding error.
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers had a tough final week to their disappointing season.
The Panthers lost to Bryson 10-4 before losing to Bellevue 7-2 to close out their season.
Saint Jo knew it was out of the playoff hunt and was playing for pride as it hoped to end the season with its head held high.
The Panthers played the Cowboys on April 22 and were put behind the eight ball when Bryson rallied off seven runs in the third inning. Saint Jo closed the game well, but could not overcome that bad inning as it lost 10-4.
Sam Martin, Charlie Evans, Mathew Sampson and Jayden Curry each drove in one run each. Saint Jo had nine hits and drew six walks during the game.
Unfortunately, Saint Jo’s defense allowed 10 hits and nine walks while committing five fielding errors.
The Panthers then waited a week before ending their season on Monday, due to rain causing the game to be rescheduled, against Bellevue. Each team had beaten the other so far this season and with both teams out of the playoffs, it was a game about local pride more than anything.
Unfortunately for Saint Jo, it did not go its way on Monday. The Eagles scored in every inning besides the first and seventh inning while the Panthers only scored in the fourth inning. Bellevue won 7-2.
Devin Stewart led the team with two RBIs on a double he hit. The team finished with eight hits and drew six walks, but it was not enough to hang with the Eagles.
The pitching staff allowed only four hits, but three fielding errors and nine walks allowed Bellevue to rack up the runs.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
SPORTS
Jackrabbits end season with series sweep

The Bowie Jackrabbits finished their season last week with a dominant series sweep against Vernon.
The Jackrabbits won both games by run-rule 13-2 and 11-1 against the Lions.
Bowie came into the week with its playoff hopes shot after splitting with Holliday. The Jackrabbits were playing for pride and knew they had what it took to win decisively against Vernon and made sure to show it.
Game one did not start off great as the Lions scored two runs in the first inning, but Bowie answered with three runs of its own in the same inning, taking the lead 3-2 and never looking back.
The Jackrabbit defense shut down Vernon the rest of the game while scoring three runs in the second and fourth innings and four runs in the third inning.
It was enough to end the game early after four and half innings, Bowie winning 13-2 in its final home game on senior night.
Edmond De Leon led the team with four RBIs while Boston Farris, Trae Seigler and Jorge De Leon each had two RBIs. The team finished with 10 hits and drew seven walks as the team consistently found ways to score every inning of the game.
Farris got the start on the mound and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking four during five innings of work. The defense committed no fielding errors.
The second game was on the road, but the Jackrabbits made sure not to start slow like they did in game one. Edmond De Leon blasted a three-run home run in the first inning to put Bowie up 3-0.
After a scoreless second inning, the Jackrabbits scored three runs in the third and fifth innings and two runs in the fourth inning. With the Lions scoring only one run in the third inning, that was all the run support Bowie needed to end the game early again after five innings.
The Jackrabbits won 11-1.
Edmond De Leon led the team with three RBIs while hitting a home run and a triple. Seigler and Austin Cheney drove in two runs. Bowie finished with 10 hits and drew six walks.
On the mound, Seigler pitched four innings and allowed one run (zero earned) on two hits while striking out and walking one batter. The defense committed three fielding errors.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
For pictures from the last home game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874727&T=1
For pictures from senior night, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874728&T=1
SPORTS
Saint Jo softball loses to Knox City 21-7 in the playoffs

The Saint Jo Lady Panthers season ended on Thursday night in the bi-district round of the playoffs against Knox City.
The Houndettes won by run-rule 21-7 after six innings, ending the Lady Panthers year since the series was condensed to just one game.
Saint Jo came into the series after winning the district title, but knew Knox City would be tough. Still, the Lady Panthers had played in and won several games with high scores which gave them hope they could hang with whatever the Houndettes to could bring.
Knox City got on the board first, scoring on a three-run triple to go up 3-0. Saint Jo answered in the same inning with Kamron Skidmore driving in two runs on a single to cut the lead to 3-2.
In the third inning the Houndettes drove in five runs on a single, double and home run to increase their lead to 8-2. The Lady Panthers got one run back in the same inning thanks to a fielding error at third base that drove in one run to make it 8-3.
After a scoreless fourth inning, Knox City added to its lead in the fifth inning. A fielding error allowed one run to score and a three RBI triple added three more to make it 12-3.
In the sixth inning, the Houndettes reeled off nine runs to as it looked like the end was near for Saint Jo. Down 21-3, the Lady Panthers needed to score nine runs to avoid getting run-ruled.
Down to the final out, Saint Jo started a two-out rally. An error at short stop resulted in two runs to score. Jordyn O’Neal then ripped off a two RBI triple as the Lady Panthers had more than doubled their score.
Unfortunately that is where it would end. The next batter grounded out for the final out.
Knox City won 21-7.
Skidmore led the team with three RBIs while O’Neal was second with two. The team finished with seven hits and drew two walks, but it was not enough to keep up with the Houndettes who had 13 hits and drew 12 walks. Saint Jo committed two fielding errors.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
For more pictures from the game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874729&T=1
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