HoweEnterprise.com
June 27, 2022
12U Baseball (Continued from page 1)
that went into two extra innings. It was a back-in-forth affair that found the Bulldogs down numerous times, only to come back time after time. This was in large part thanks to top-notch baserunning by Kayden Ross, big hits from Hunter Thornhill and Cruz Garcia, and stellar defense from center fielder Deacon Bender. The momentum turned in the fourth inning when, with runners on first and third, catcher Brent Smith and shortstop Samantha Fuhr perfectly executed a fake throwdown to shortstop and caught the runner at third sleeping for the inning's final out. The game was finally won in walk-off fashion 11-10 when Ayden Kane hit a hard line drive to rightcenter to score Fuhr from second. The Bulldogs then faced off against the Pottsboro Cardinals and were provided masterful pitching from Kane, Thornhill, and Gunner Owen. Timely hitting from Cannon Derrick, Jackson Culp, and Fuhr, as well as Easton Ganow's incredible eye for the strike zone, helped the Dogs jump out to an early lead, which they carried home for a 7-4 win.
The championship game was a rematch against the Pottsboro Cardinals. The Cardinals jumped out to an early 3 -0 lead, but soon starter Thornhill settled in, and the Bulldogs began climbing back. The offense quickly caught fire with huge hits from Owen, Fuhr, Thornhill, Derrick, Smith, and Culp. The fifth inning saw the Bulldogs score six runs as they pulled away. Things got interesting in the final inning as Pottsboro scored three, but great defense by Thornhill to help his own cause and a clutch catch by left fielder Caden Crosson stalled the Cardinal's rally to give the Bulldogs the title of district champions with a final score of 10-7. The Bulldogs will now move on to play in the regional tournament in Mount Vernon beginning July 2. From the front page photo: Front row left to right: Caden Crosson, Brent Smith, Gunner Owen, Jackson Culp, Easton Ganow Back Row left to right: Samantha Fuhr, Kaiden Ross, Cannon Derrick, Cruz Garcia, Deacon Bender, Hunter Thornhill, Ayden Kane. Coaches: Sergio Garcia and Kevin
Howe 14U lose nailbiter in deciding game, but still advance
Rhyin Navidad leads Howe and Whitewright in a pre-game prayer. Courtesy photo. The Howe 14U All-Stars narrowly missed a trip to the state tournament with a 7-6 loss to Whitewright in the deciding game. However, later in the week, the were invited to make the state trip. The began the tournament with a 14-13 win over Pottsboro fol-
lowed by an 18-5 loss to Whitewright. Howe’s third game resulted in a 12-10 Whitesboro win which set up a showdown for second and third place in the tournament.
Howe Bulldogs 14U roster: Gage Carr, Ridley Carter, Van Derrick, David Grant, Will Ingram, Leyton Murphy, Rhyin Navidad, Kendall O’Brien, Bryce Pieper, Preston Reeves, and Rylan Strong. Coaches were Brad Murphy, Josh Murphy, Brad Derrick, Kade Murphy, and Kolin Murphy. Courtesy photo.
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