Denton Record-Chronicle | News for Denton County, Texas

05/11/2008

Baseball: Raiders advance in extra innings
SAGINAW — It took awhile for Bubba Roddy to find his way at the plate in Ryan’s series against Cleburne, but he made it count when he finally came through.

Baseball: Indians roll past Burkburnett in playoff sweep
For the first time in school history, Sanger advanced to the third round of the playoffs. Fittingly, it occurred on win No. 23 of the season, which is the most wins ever by a Sanger team.

Track & field: Aubrey senior finishes second in 800 at state
AUSTIN — For Aubrey’s Steven Cantwell, last year’s track season ended in great disappointment.

Sports Commission to hold annual banquet
The Greater Denton Sports Commission will hold its annual awards banquet on Monday at the Gateway Center on the University of North Texas campus.

Baseball: Eagles eliminated in Game 2 loss to Canyon
SNYDER — Argyle’s first-ever playoff appearance came to an end with a 6-3 loss to Canyon on Saturday that completed a sweep in a Class 3A Region I area round playoff series.

05/10/2008

Softball: Ponder shut down by S&S in sweep
Ashley Anderson showed perhaps her best performance of the season, but lost — twice. Anderson pitched two complete games for Ponder, but the Lady Lions lost both, 1-0 and 5-0, against S&S Consolidated on Friday in a Class 2A Region II quarterfinal series at Pioneer Field. Ponder was eliminated in the regional quarterfinals for the second straight season.

Track & field: Going the distance
AUSTIN – Kristie Krueger has long ruled the roost in the distance events at Argyle, having won the gold in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters last year and had three more medals in her freshman and sophomore years. In her final day as a high school runner, Krueger brought home two more medals to add to her collection with a gold in the 800 and a silver in the 1,600.

Baseball: Cleburne pulls even with Ryan
CLEBURNE -- The Ryan Raiders thought they had their series with Cleburne wrapped up after Game 1. The Yellow Jackets had other ideas. Ryan came out flat in Game 2 of its best-of-three series with Cleburne, coughing up a 5-1 loss on Friday in a lackluster performance where the Raiders had no answer for Cleburne pitcher Estefan Jimenez.

Softball: Lady Wildcats swept from playoffs by Joshua
KELLER – Guyer had no choice but to win Friday night and despite battling from behind the entire night the Lady Wildcats couldn’t muster the offense to force a decisive Game 3 in their Class 4A Region I quarterfinal series with Joshua.

05/08/2008

Baseball: Firing blanks
MANSFIELD – Strikeouts have been a key part of Derek Howell's pitching outings this season. That facet of his game was again on display Thursday. In a 2-0 win over Blooming Grove, Howell struck out 19 and tossed a one-hitter as Krum captured the one-game playoff in the Class 2A Region II area round.

Baseball: Ryan's Petersen overpowers Cleburne

DRC/Al Key

Ryan’s Will Klausing, center, is mobbed by his teammates after hitting a home run during Game 1 of a Class 4A area round playoff series against Cleburne on Thursday.

Bret Warnack couldn’t have scripted a better playoff opener for his Ryan Raiders. Ryan got a dominating performance from starter Curtis Petersen through 6 2-3 innings. The Raiders (26-5) executed their small-ball offense to perfection, scoring at least one run in all but one inning. Ryan even got a little power at the plate in the form of a solo home run by Will Klausing in the fourth inning.

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Track & field: McLeod has family legacy in pole vault
Michael McLeod has been waiting for this his whole life. Ryan’s pole vaulter watched his step brother, Laith McLeod, win a state title in pole vault at Highland Park his senior year. He’s listened to stories from his dad about the old days of using metal poles and sawdust pits.

Track & field: Barb aims for gold in return to state
There are two types of people at Guyer High School that Joe Barb doesn’t encounter often, if at all – those he won’t talk to, and those that can beat him in a foot race In fact, the junior track star is so talkative with all of his classmates, head track coach Sean Lonergan bestowed upon him a nickname – the mayor.

Track & field: Amadi jumping for joy over new event
Midway through the track and field season, Denton head coach Reginald Seastrunk decided to have Johnson Amadi, one of his top athletes, try out in the triple jump. Amadi had no experience in the event, but based on his athleticism and work ethic, Seastrunk figured Amadi would be able to build on his technique and eventually perform at a high level.

05/09/2008

Track & field: Krum runner thinks on his feet
As his feet pound against the track, Coleby Borchardt turns into a tactician. The Krum sophomore has developed a knack for analyzing pace and timing his kick so that he has just enough energy to slip past his competitors at the finish line of a race.

Baseball: Lions fall in state semifinals
WACO — Facing a southpaw for the first time isn’t easy. Shiner St. Paul’s Kendall Kusak threw four innings, striking out seven and walking one, as the Cardinals defeated Calvary 6-0 on Thursday in the TAPPS 2A baseball state semifinals at the Waco ISD Sports Complex.

Softball: Lady Wildcats drop Game 1 to Joshua
KELLER — Guyer had no problem getting runners on base and into scoring position Thursday night against Joshua, but cashing in on those opportunities was another story.

Softball: Lady Chaps take down Tom Bean
WHITESBORO — The Aubrey Lady Chaparrals slipped past Tom Bean, 2-1, in Game 1 of a best-of-three series on Thursday in Whitesboro behind the batting heroics of Kelsey Reding and the pitching prowess of Kylie Roos.

05/08/2008

Baseball: Ryan's one-two punch

DRC/Gary Payne

Ryan High School baseball pitchers Cord Jezek, left, and Curtis Petersen have helped the Raiders roll to their second consecutive District 5-4A title.

Cord Jezek and Curtis Petersen have grown up competing with each other. From T-ball to select baseball, from bullpen sessions to district starts, Ryan’s top two starting pitchers are more than familiar with each other and get a kick out of getting the last laugh in friendly competitions.

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Men's basketball: Denton's Hunter signs with Nicholls
Fred Hunter’s hard work on and off the court has landed him a Division I scholarship. The Denton basketball standout signed a national letter of intent with Nicholls State on Wednesday.

Baseball: Liberty knocked out of playoffs
Liberty Christian was eliminated from the TAPPS 5A regional playoffs, losing to Houston Second Baptist 10-3.

05/06/2008

Baseball: Indians hope to make history in baseball playoffs
SANGER -- After capturing the No. 1 seed in District 8-3A, Sanger is on the verge of becoming the most successful baseball team in school history, if it hasn’t already. Sanger finished the regular season as co-champions in District 8-3A, sharing the honors with Argyle, which conceded the top seed. Sanger had not captured a district title in 30 years prior to this season.

Tennis: Argyle’s mixed doubles advances
Argyle’s mixed double team of Mary Bowman and Eric Katzen defeated Keirsten Hamilton and Jordan Hamilton of Groesbeck 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state tournament. In boys singles, Argyle’s Will Stein lost to Silsbee’s Matthew Deaver 6-3, 6-4.

05/04/2008

Tennis: Breaking through

DRC/Barron Ludlum

Ponder’s Colton Ream is the first Lion to make the state tournament and only the second to advance to regionals where he finished second.

PONDER — Colton Ream certainly doesn’t have a rock star’s personality, but he’s getting that kind of treatment at Ponder High School. The quiet junior sees his face on T-shirts that are circulating through the school, and students are buzzing about Ponder’s first tennis state qualifier in school history, attention that is usually reserved for the basketball team.

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Baseball: Broncos bucked

DRC/Gary Payne

Denton's Hunter Dozier, left, misses a errant throw on an attempt tag out of Alex Hoeppner of Fort Worth Western Hills during Game 2 of a Class 4A Region I bi-district playoff series on Saturday.

Denton had the bases loaded as Christian Perry dropped a base hit into center field, but a mistake on the base paths for the final out was a fitting end to a frustrating afternoon for the Broncos. ort Worth Western Hills took the Broncos to extra innings Friday night before a 3-2 win forced a decisive Game 3 that the Cougars dominated, 8-2, in a Class 4A bi-district showdown Saturday at Bronco Field.

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Softball: Guyer girls sweep past Southwest
FORT WORTH – When a coach’s best hitter goes 0-for-3 in a playoff game, it likely would be a bit concerning, but not for Guyer softball coach Keith Medford. The Lady Wildcats’ top hitter, Kylee Crosek, who’s hitting over .500 this season, did just that Saturday in Game 2 of a Class 4A Region I area round playoff series with Fort Worth Southwest, and Guyer still beat the Lady Raiders 8-2 to sweep the series and advance to the regional quarterfinals to play the Ryan-Joshua winner.

Softball: Ryan stunned by Joshua in Game 3
KELLER – Whitney Haynes’ bases-clearing double in the seventh inning of Game 2 against Joshua seemed to give Ryan new life. It gave the Lady Raiders an 8-6 win and tied their area round playoff series at one game apiece. But as it turned out the hit only extended Ryan’s season by three hours, as the Lady Raider bats couldn’t stay as hot in Game 3. Ryan lost, 4-1, and was ousted in the Class 4A Region I playoffs on Saturday.

High school baseball: Krum splits doubleheader in playoff warm-up
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS — Krum split a doubleheader with home-school opponent THESA on Saturday in a playoff warm-up for the District 13-2A champions. The Bobcats (21-8) dropped the first game 9-8 before rallying to win 6-4 in the nightcap.

Baseball: Miraculous rally lifts Argyle in postseason debut
ALEDO -- The ice water from a bucket in the dugout was still sending chills down Ricky Griffin’s back Saturday when he stopped to tell his players how long the memories of what had happened on the field at Aledo High School would last. Scotty Stewart had just stroked a single to left field in the top of the seventh inning to score what proved to be the game-winning run, and turned around to close out Arygle’s 8-7 win over Breckenridge in the final game of a remarkable comeback in a bi-district playoff series.

05/03/2008

Softball: They’ll take it

DRC/Gary Payne

Guyer pitcher Kylee Crosek, left, looks to throw out Fort Worth Southwest's Carly Fulbright at first base during the first game of a Class 4A Region I area round playoff series on Friday. The Lady Wildcats won 6-2.

FORT WORTH -- After coming off a bi-district series win over Azle that featured flashy defense and pitching with very little offense, Guyer might not have called Friday’s area round opener the prettiest win it’s had. But the Lady Wildcats’ 6-2 win over Fort Worth Southwest gives them a 1-0 series lead over the Lady Raiders.

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Softball: Lady Lions hold off Malakoff to advance
MESQUITE — Ponder sophomore pitcher Ashley Anderson struck out 12 batters as Ponder held off Malakoff on Friday night at Mesquite Girls Softball Complex in a Class 2A Region II area round playoff game. Anderson (15-2) struck out a Malakoff pinch hitter with the bases loaded to end the game. “A strikeout is a great way to win the game,” said Ponder head coach Paige Wells.

Baseball: Calvary reaches state semis
The Calvary Lions shut out Clear Lake Christian on Friday, winning 3-0 to move on to the TAPPS 2A state semifinals. Calvary (13-0) and Clear Lake (14-6) played each other to a stalemate for much of the game, as both teams had excellent defense. The game became a lesson in missed opportunities.

Baseball: Broncos need extra innings for Game 1 win
FORT WORTH -- Denton persevered through its mistakes and captured a 5-4 win in 10 innings against Fort Worth Western Hills on Saturday in Game 1 of its Class 4A Region I bi-district playoff matchup.

Baseball: Breckenridge 7, Argyle 6
ALEDO — Breckenridge scored two runs in the seventh inning to rally past Argyle on Friday in Game 1 of a Class 3A Region I bi-district series. Scott Stewart pitched well in relief for the Eagles, but Breckenridge was helped by two Argyle errors in the final inning to win the game.

Softball: Ryan shut out in playoff opener
KELLER -- The Ryan Lady Raiders hopes of another run to the state tournament hit an unexpectedly early bump against Joshua on Friday. Ryan couldn’t hit, didn’t pitch well and simply didn’t show the form that took it to Austin last year as the Lady Raiders were run off the field, 7-0, in Game 1 of the Class 4A Region I area playoffs.

Baseball: Chaparrals fall to Bells in bi-district playoffs
WHITESBORO -- Aubrey put together one of its best regular-season performances of the last few years by executing in clutch situations. All season, the Chaparrals put down bunts at key times and came up with hits when it needed them the most. It was a trend Aubrey couldn't continue Friday night when its season came to an end in a 5-4 loss to Bells in a Class 2A Region II bi-district playoff game.

05/02/2008

Baseball: Aubrey looks to use small ball strategy
AUBREY — The task for Aubrey is simple — manufacture runs and pitch well. That’s the strategy head coach Eric Rosar explained Aubrey would use in the playoffs.