Ladycats start year with 4-2 district mark

Photo/Jim Jackson After a slow start against Marshall, the Ladycats rattled off four straight wins thanks to strong pitching and hitting. After last week's loss to Hallsville, the team is 4-2 in district play, with the second round of district starting tomorrow.

The Ladycats are off to a strong start in the district race, although errors have played a part in the team's two conference losses.

Whitehouse is 4-2 after falling 5-0 to Hallsville last week.

"We just could not get the bats going," said head coach Alicia Crawford, who credited the Lady Bobcat pitcher with keeping the Ladycats off balance at the plate. Crawford also said the team couldn't overcome uncharacteristic mistakes in the field.

Emily Costlow, who has missed two weeks with a back injury, recorded the loss. She pitched six innings and picked up six strikeouts, three walks and allowed nine hits.

Whitehouse opened district with 10-0 loss to Marshall. Cagen Medlock recorded the loss, though Crawford said the score was misleading.

"Cagen pitched a good game, and we just didn't play behind her," Crawford said. "We could not get timely hits when we got runners on base and had too many errors in the field."

Medlock finished with eight strikeouts; she walked one and allowed 12 hits.

From there, the Ladycats went on a four-game winning streak before the loss to Hallsville:

WHS 2, Nacogdoches 0

Taylor Russell had two RBI singles in the Ladycats' first district win.

With the game scoreless in the third inning, Erica Fuller singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice by Chelsey Boulware before being brought home by Russell.

Whitehouse got the final run when Russell knocked in Jesse Allen in the seventh.

Medlock (7 SO, 5 BB) pitched seven innings for the Ladycats, allowing three hits.

WHS 14, Kilgore 1 The Ladycats won in five in- nings with Medlock striking out six and walking four.

Though Kilgore couldn't buy a hit, the Whitehouse bats were on fire: Boulware 2-for-4; Megan Brady 2-for-2 (single, homerun, walk); Jordan Knight 2-for-3 (single, homerun); Cecily Petree 3-for-3 (two doubles); Haylee Aldredge 3-for-3.

WHS 21, Jacksonville 5

The Ladycats continued to swing away, with Knight and Brady both earning five RBIs. Russell and Fuller both went 2- for-4 with Fuller adding a stolen base.

On the mound, Medlock struck out five, walked six and allowed five hits in four innings of play.

WHS 3, Pine Tree 0

Russell doubled in Boulware and then crossed the plate on a single by Brady to get the Ladycats on the scoreboard. Allen capped the scoring in the bottom of the sixth when she scored from second on a dropped third strike.

Pine Tree managed just three hits off Medlock, who finished with two strikeouts and three walks.

The Ladycats start the second round of district tomorrow, traveling to Marshall. The JV plays at 4:30 and the varsity starts at 6 p.m.