Lion baseball finds tough district competition

Varsity vs. Hendrickson
The Lockhart Lion varsity baseball team hosted the Hendrickson Hawks on Tuesday, March 4, resulting in an 11-inning loss, 5-4, for the Lions.
Hendrickson took the first lead, 1-0, after the first inning, and gained momentum in the second inning by scoring two more runs. Lockhart responded with one run in the second and one run in the thir

d to lessen the Hawks” lead, 3-2.
The Lions tied the game at the bottom of the fifth inning; however, the Hawks scored another run in the sixth inning. Lockhart exhibited their determination by scoring a run in the seventh inning and holding Hendrickson scoreless for the next four innings. The scored was tied at four runs each.
In the eleventh and final inning of the game, Hendrickson completed one run and held the Lions scoreless to take home the 5-4 district win.
Making hits for the Lions were Landon Buckner with three singles and a RBI, Steven Gonzales with a single and three RBIs, Brandon Hodges with a single, and Dennis Ortiz with a single and a double.

Varsity vs. Dripping Springs
The Lockhart Lion varsity baseball team traveled to Dripping Springs for a non-district match up against the Tigers on Friday, March 7. The Lions returned home with a 16-4 loss.
Lockhart”s four runs came from the fifth inning, while Dripping Springs scored four runs in the first inning and 12 runs in the second inning.
Scoring for Lockhart was Paul Buckner, A.J. Crider, Chris Dietz and Phillip Rodriguez.
The Lions shuffled the deck with four different pitchers at the mound against the Tigers” tenacious offense. Dennis Ortiz faced 15 batters, Chris Hodges faced 12 batters, Landon Buckner faced five batters, and Phillip Rodriguez faced three batters.
The Lions will travel to Vista Ridge for their next district game against the Rangers on Thursday, April 13, with the game starting at 7 p.m.

J.V. vs. Taylor
The Lockhart Lion junior varsity baseball team hosted the Taylor Ducks on Saturday, April 8, for a double-header match.
In game one, the Ducks shutout the Lions, 9-0.
Defensively, KC Butler led the Lions with seven strikeouts and eight hits against the Ducks” strong bat. The Lion committed only one error behind Butler.
Offensively, Lockhart completed three hits. Kody Skelton made two hits including a single and a double, while Marcos Officer contributed a single.
In game two, the Lions took another loss to the Ducks, 9-4.
Defensively, Skelton pitched over five innings giving up six runs off of five hits. Marcos officer came in and pitched the rest of the game giving up three runs on three hits. As a team, Lockhart committed five errors.
Offensively, the Lions scored their four runs from four hits. Joe Fuentes completed a single, Officer contributed a single and a run scored, James Mendez earned 2 RBI and a single, KC Butler made a triple and a run scored, Kurt Koehler contributed a run scored, and AJ Crider earned a run scored.
The Lions will face Austin Lanier next on Saturday, April 15, for a double-header at home with game time at 1 p.m.

Freshman vs. Taylor
The Lockhart Lion freshman baseball team traveled to Taylor for a double-header match up against the Ducks on Saturday, March 8.
In game one, the Lions overpowered the Ducks, 6-2, with a strong start in the first inning. Lockhart scored four runs against Taylor”s defense in the first inning.
The Ducks could never catch up with the Lions behind the strong pitching of Jacob Castillo. Castillo took control of the mound for five innings by only allowing two runs to come across home plate.
After defeating the Ducks, the Lions were tied in the district race for first place with a 6-1 record with Taylor.
In game two, Taylor jumped to a 3-0 lead over Lockhart after the first inning. Lockhart missed some key scoring opportunities in the fourth and sixth innings. Taylor continued with their strong offense to take home a 1-7 victory.
“Our defensive errors hurt us in game two,” Coach Mark Elder said.
The win put Taylor ahead of Lockhart in the district race for first place.
The Lions will play the Hendrickson Hawks for their last district game of the season on Monday, April 24. The double-header games will begin at 5:30 and 7 p.m.

Freshman vs. Del Valle
The Lion freshman baseball team earned two more wins on the road in a double-header match up against the Del Valle Cardinals on Monday, April 3.
In game one, Lockhart took a 16-3 win with Castillo at the mound for five innings leading the strong defense. Castillo gave up only two hits and had nine strikeouts.
Leading Lockhart offensively was Richard Ybarra with two hits including a grand slam and five RBIs, Johnny Juarez completed two hits, Roy Ornelas completed one hit and a RBI, and Jacob Frey hit a triple.
In game 2, the Lions overwhelmed the Cardinals again with an 11-3 victory. The Lions had a 10-run fourth inning that put the game away.
Ricky Rodriguez pitched five innings for the Lions giving up only two hits and completed four strikeouts.
At bat, Ybarra went two for four with a triple.

(Courtesy of Gifford Whitehead, Brandon Durst and Mark Elder)