Wildcats End Season in Area Loss to Prosper
The Wildcats’ baseball team had their season end Saturday at Rockwall as Prosper rallied from behind to defeat the Wildcats, 9-6. The Eagles win the Area round series over the Wildcats, 2 games to zero. Prosper won Friday night at Rockwall, 7-4.
The Wildcats opened the game Saturday by scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. Included was a home run by Jaxon Chaney. The lead would not stand up. The Wildcats have a final season record of 18-15.
The Wildcats had an exciting run in district play that culminated in a dramatic win over Hallsville at Wildcat Park on April 27. Chaney hit a walk off homer that won the game and left the Wildcats in a three-way tie for first. The next day, the Wildcats lost seeding games to Texas High and Hallsville that left them as a #3 seed. The Wildcats defeated Wylie East two games to one to win the bi-district series last Saturday. Then came Prosper and the Area round losses.
Lady Cats Season Ends in Regional Quarterfinal Loss to Forney
The Forney Lady Rabbits continued to tear the cover off of the softball as they defeated the Lady Cats’ softball team 14-5 at Lady Cat Park Saturday. The win wrapped up the Regional Quarterfinal Series, two games to zero, for the Lady Rabbits. Forney won at home Friday night, 14-2.
The Lady Cats were more competitive Saturday but still Forney remained in high gear. The Lady Rabbits scored in five of their seven innings and pounded out 16 hits including four home runs. The Lady Rabbits scored 3 runs in the first, four in the second, three more in the third, three more in the fifth and one run in the seventh.
The Lady Cats had a fairly decent day at the plate collecting ten hits. They scored a run in the first, three more in the third and one run in the fourth. When the Lady Cats battled back to within 10-4 and they threatened to get even closer, the Lady Rabbits went back to their ace who pitched the last five innings of the game allowing only one run. Brinklee Driver hit a big three run homer over the Lady Cats’ scoreboard in left field and was 3 for 4 with a run and three RBI’s. Alyssa Abron was good in her last game as a Lady Cat going 2 for 3 with three runs scored. She was also hit by a pitch. Kelsey Wallace was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Sadie Stroud drew four walks and forced in a run on one of them. Allie Fite had a hit and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Sierra Smith and Landri Bell also had a hit apiece. For the second straight day, Lady Cats pitcher Bailey Haggerty struggled in the circle. She took the loss allowing ten hits and seven earned runs in three innings. Tessa Holt pitched the last three innings allowing six hits and four earned runs.
The Lady Cats end the season with a 28-7 record. This team earned the distinction of being Coach David Carrillo’s first sole district champion here. They also claimed bi-district and Area playoff titles this season.
Wildcats Must Win Next Two Follow Friday Loss to Prosper
The Wildcats’ baseball team was unable to overcome a big six run top of the third inning for Prosper as the Wildcats lost game one of their best two out of three series, 7-4 at Rockwall Friday night.
The Eagles scored the games first run executing a double steal. Prosper gave the run right back as Triston McCormick singled and then scored on a dropped fly ball on the warning track in left field. Then Prosper put together the big inning that made the difference. After a couple of Prosper hits, the first run scored on a sacrifice fly. Later with the bases loaded, the Eagles scored three runs on two wild pitches and a throwing error. Then a Prosper single drove in two more runs. The Wildcats trailed 7-1.
The Wildcats got one run back in the bottom of the third as Gavin Millsap, Kaden Argenbright and Ryan Humphries all singled to load the bases. McCormick drew a walk that forced in Millsap. The Wildcats could not get more leaving the bases loaded. The Wildcats reduced the lead to 7-4 by scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Austin Dodd laid down a beautiful bunt for a single. Argenbright walked. After a Humphries sacrifice, McCormick drove in two runs with a double to the wall in left center. That was as close as the Wildcats could get.
McCormick was 3 for 3 with a run scored and three RBIs. Humphries took the pitching loss going two and two-thirds innings allowing eight hits seven runs, six of them earned with three walks and three strikeouts. Tyler Armstrong had a strong outing in relief stifling the Eagles and giving the Wildcats a chance to come back. Armstrong went 4 and a third innings allowing only one hit and no runs while striking out four and walking four.
The Wildcats will attempt to even the series as game two takes place Saturday at 1 p.m. at Rockwall. A game three, if needed, will follow game two.
Lady Cats Lose First Game to Forney; Game Two Saturday
The Forney Lady Rabbits exhibited their quick striking offense while greatly limiting the Lady Cats’ softball team’s offense in a 14-2 victory in Forney Friday night.
The Lady Cats actually led briefly scoring twice in the top of the first inning. The Lady Cats first two hitters, Alyssa Abron and Kelsey Wallace, got on base and scored. Alli Fite had one of only two Lady Cats hits and she drove home a run in the top of the first. Forney answered with four runs of their own in the first and they added five more runs in the bottom of the second to go up 9-2. Another five runs scored in the bottom of the fourth to make it 14-2. The game was called after the top of the fifth with Forney up 14-2.
Sadie Stroud got the only other Lady Cats’ hit. The Lady Cats did manage to draw five walks. Lady Cats pitcher Bailey Haggerty had a tough night in the circle pitching four innings and allowing twelve hits, fourteen runs, twelve earned runs with six walks and three strikeouts. The Lady Cats also had an error.
The Lady Cats will attempt to even the series as they host Forney in game two at Lady Cat Park Saturday at 11 a.m. Game three, if needed, will take place right after game two. Hear the games on KSST.
Panthers Season Ends With Area Loss to Union Grove
Union Grove won their Area series with the North Hopkins’ baseball team taking a pair of games, 4-2 and 4-1 at Mesquite’s Tillery Field Friday.
In game one Union Grove led all the way and held off the Panthers, 4-2. Union Grove outhit the Panthers six to four. Wyatt Wharton took the pitching loss going five and two-thirds innings allowing four hits and three runs with only two runs earned. Wharton also struck out four and walked six. Senior Chase Williams went the final inning and a third allowing two hits and an earned run while striking out three and walking one. Victor Rojo had the only RBI for the Panthers. Rojo, Wyatt, Wharton and Williams had the Panthers hits. The Panthers stole four bases.
The Panthers lost game two in heartbreaking fashion. The game was scoreless going into the bottom of the sixth when Union Grove scored four runs. The Panthers could manage to get only one of them back in the top of the seventh. Wyatt pitched all six innings allowing five hits and four earned runs. Wyatt also struck out three and walked one. The Panthers outhit Union Grove six to five. Williams was 3 for 3 with a stolen base. Wharton, Brycen Gillespie and Jessie Rivera all had one hit apiece. Both teams committed two errors.
After the games, North Hopkins Head Baseball Coach Tim Henderson issued a statement saying his team played good baseball Friday while adding it just wasn’t their day. He complimented Union Grove for executing their offense and for getting timely hits when they needed them. Coach Henderson said he could not be prouder of his boys for competing until the very end. He said the day had a wild finish. Coach Henderson noted his team was district champs for the second year in a row, was bi-district champs and compiled a season record of 17-9-1, which ties his personal best for wins in a season.
Food for Thought: Local Restaurant Makes Generous Donation
Burgers and Fries made another wonderful $ 2,000.00 donation to the Meal A Day Program. A HUGE Thank You to all of their thoughtful employees and generous customers who throw tips in the donation jar when they pick up their food.
The Very Humble, Very Hardworking Earthworm By Susan Brewer
By Susan Brewer, A Hopkins County Master Gardener
Do you remember the old rhyme? “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll go into the garden to eat worms. Long thin slimy ones, short fat juicy ones, itsy bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms”. What a bad rap earthworms get, yet they are a vital resource in enriching our soil whether it be in your yard, vegetable garden, house plants or the cornfield.
Charles Darwin 100 years ago reportedly wrote that it may be doubted whether there are as many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as have these lowly organized creatures.
The common earthworm sometimes called natures’ plow is well worth another look. The most common worm in this part of Texas is the Lumbricus terrestris or night crawler. They are natural composters. This is a worm most often seen after torrential rains and at night particularly when the ground is moist from dew or a rain. They can be large, with a darker colored head end and have a thickened band of discoloration close to the front of the body. The “tail” end of the worm tends to be flatter than the “head”. They provide improvement to soil fertility by tunneling deeply into the ground, sometimes several feet deep, pulling below the surface deposited organic matter such as leaf fall or manure either for food or to plug its burrow. Once in the burrow, the worm will shred the leaf and partially digest it and mingle it with the earth. Worms end result (castings) can contain 40 percent more humus than the top 9” of soils where the worm is living. In addition to the dead organic matter, the earthworm also ingests other minute soil particles. The excretions left behind after the worm has digested its intake are called castings. Castings contains minerals and plant nutrients that are changed to chemicals that in turn enrich the soil within a surrounding six inch radius. In conditions where humus is plentiful the weight of casts may be greater than 10 lbs. per year per worm! The earthworms’ physical activity of burrowing creates a multitude of channels through the soil and is of great value enabling processes of aeration and drainage.
Most worms are hermaphrodites (organisms that have both male and female reproductive organs at the same time). Reproduction in earthwormsresults in cocoons about the size of a match head or a small grain of rice. Color-wise they start out as a luminescent pearly white and through the maturing process of the soon to be baby worms will end up a reddish color. This process takes about 3 weeks and results in 1 to several baby worms being hatched. These cocoons can survive through the winter months ensuring the survival of earthworms. Some adults will hatch and die in the same year depending on conditions such as dryness, temperature or predators. Some earthworms however, have been known to live 6-7 years.
Having talked about common earthworms in Texas and extolling their virtues, there are some bad guys out there too. One is the terrestrial hammerhead flatworm Bipalian kewense, recognizable by a half-moon shaped head – think hammerhead shark. This one is a known predator of worms. Not only that, but they are detrimental to the environment. They are typically light-colored with dorsal stripes. These should be destroyed. Chopping them into pieces causes them to multiply because they can regenerate from the pieces. Effective treatment methods include citrus oil, vinegar or salt. Apply these products directly to this worm.
Another useful benefit of earthworms is vermiculture. Vermiculture is the practice of feeding organic waste to earthworms commonly known as the red wiggler or the tiger worm. The night crawler, which burrows deeper than the vermiculture process requires, is not recommended for this practice. Vermiculture can be safely done in your house or other specially designated areas in special containers. Previously discarded kitchen waste is converted to material that can use on your houseplants and in your garden. You and your children gain a better understanding of one of the lesser-advertised methods of recycling and start thinking about the interdependencies so important for us and the planet we live on.
There is economic value in vermiculture. Earthworms are sold all over the world not only for vermiculture in large quantities but can also be used as food for human consumption. Noke is a word used by the Maori of New Zealand and refers to earthworms that are considered delicacies for their chiefs. These sales result in an industry worth millions of dollars for both Canada and the US.
A very interesting fact emerged from a research article showing that there is a decay of low-density polyethylene by bacteria extracted from earthworms guts Ref: Science of the Total Environment 624:753-757 Dec. 2017. Could this solve the ever-increasing problems of the hazardous amounts of plastics accumulating the world over?
References: aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu
Worm Links extension.illinois.edu
Worms Eat My Garbage 2017 by Mary Applehof and Joanne Olszewki
PJC-Sulphur Springs Welding Shop Certified 35 Welders
FINDING PERFECTION Welding Instructor Matt Siddens, center, checks a welding project completed by PJC-Sulphur Springs Center student Eli Preas, left, during certification exercises this week. Looking on at right is night class instructor John Glasco. The PJC-Sulphur Springs welding shop certified 35 welders, including dual credit students from Commerce, Cumby and Caddo Mills.
Lady Cats, Lady Rabbits Meet in Regional Quarterfinal Series
The Lady Cats’ softball team and other teams in their district spent the entire district schedule trying to avoid getting matched up with the powerful Forney Lady Rabbits in bi-district. But if a team has big playoff goals, you can’t avoid them forever.
The Lady Cats and Lady Rabbits now meet in a Regional Quarterfinal Series. Lady Cats Coach David Carrillo was hoping to win a toss to make it a one-game playoff. Forney’s Head Coach, a good friend of Coach Carrillo’s, won the toss and went with a series. Forney’s district would not allow a Thursday (May 10) game because there was testing at Forney earier Thursday. Sulphur Springs has its’ prom Saturday (May 12) night. All that left only Friday (May 11)and early Saturday for games.
Game one at 7 p.m. Friday is at Forney. Game two is at Lady Cat Park Saturday at 11 a.m. With a game three, if necessary, occuring after game two. Coach Carrillo said in order to make a statement or to see how good you are you have to play the best. In an Area round series, Forney defeated last year’s state champs, The Colony. The Lady Cats scrimmaged at Forney back on January 29.
