Sports

2025 LADY BULLDOGS: Three

STRIKING SENIORS: Hamilton High School

FAIRWAY TO GLORY: Hamilton’s District 11-2A Champion Lady Bulldogs boarded a bus over the weekend bound for the 2A UIL Region 2 Golf Championships in Ferris.

Area Champ Dogs, Lady Dogs

The Hamilton Bulldog baseball team was scheduled to recognize four seniors, including (l-r) Braxton Wright, Izaac Wood, Rogelio Ibarra and Yeydy Rivas, prior to throwing out the first pitch versus Crawford on Tuesday at Fair Park. Hamilton’s final regular season game is scheduled for this coming Monday at 6 p.m. in Crawford. Falling to 7-11 on the year and 2-7 in district, the Bulldogs dropped a pair of contests to state-ranked Bosqueville last week. On Tuesday, Bosqueville accrued 16 runs on eight hits in the bottom of the fourth inning alone to claim an 18-1 victory over the Dogs. Grant Bauman led Hamilton offensively, going two-for-two at the plate. The junior scored Hamilton’s only run in the top of the fourth. Nathan Hall put the ball in play with a base hit and advanced to second on an error by Bosqueville as Bauman rounded third and stole home. In addition to two base hits by Bauman and a single by Hall, Bret Bauman and Zeb Murphree also each recorded a base knock. Returning home last Friday to host Bosqueville, the Bulldogs were again upended, 122. Grant Bauman was two-for-two with an RBI double, and base hits were scattered by Bret Bauman, Ridge Lasater, Hall and Murphree. Hamilton’s junior high baseball squad opened their season with a double-header in Goldthwaite on Saturday and dropped both games to the Eagles. The HJH Bulldogs will be back in action this Thursday with a home game at Fair Park versus Keene at 6 p.m.

Though they are 0-19 on the year and 0-10 in district, the Lady Bulldog softball team has taken great strides this season under the direction of first-year Head Coach Madison Sims. The Diamond Dogs fell to perennial softball powerhouse Crawford last Friday on the road, 16-1. Sophomore Reese Kelley connected for Hamilton’s only hit, belting a monstrous solo home run over the left field fence in the top of the second inning. The Lady Bulldogs were scheduled to wrap up their 2025 campaign by hosting Bruceville-Eddy on Tuesday of this week at Horton Park. Three seniors, including Adriana Hernandez, Kayden Hudson and Kylee Little, and their loved ones were scheduled to be recognized prior to the first pitch. After opening their season with a 7-1 home loss to Jonesboro, Hamilton’s junior high softball squad improved on Saturday, losing just 4-2 on the road to the Lady Eagles. The young Lady Dogs will return home to host San Saba at Horton Park this Thursday at 5 p.m. Pictured (l-r), Assistant Lady Bulldog Softball Coach Chelsie Kelley, seniors Hernandez, Hudson and Little, and Head Coach Madison Sims. Photos by Tracy Cox

A pair of Hamilton High School seniors, including (l-r) Kyle McKandless and Garrett Guinn, holed top 10 individual finishes during the District 11-2A Golf Championships to advance to regionals. Two teams out of District 11-2A qualified to compete this Wednesday and Thursday at the Old Brickyard Golf Course during the 2A UIL Region 2 Golf Championships. Lipan claimed a District 11 title with a two-round score of 633, and DeLeon punched the final ticket with a team tally of 678. The Bulldogs narrowly missed boarding a bus to Ferris as a team, posting a third-placed score of 722. Guinn led the effort, placing ninth individually with a 36-hole tally of 167. Hamilton’s second varsity squad placed fourth as a team with a score of 757 and was led by individual regional qualifier McKandless who placed 10th individually in district with a two-day score of 171.

Sophomore anchor leg Anna Claire Cooper leaves a nest of competitors in the dust as she flies down the homestretch for a regional qualifying bronze-medalist finish in the area-round 4x200meter relay last Thursday in Hico. Cooper also advanced to regionals in the 200-meter dash and in the high jump competition and was joined on the regional qualifying relay team by Emma Ensor, Berkley Lengefeld and Kaitlyn Walton.

The speedy quad-squad of Colton DeLaGarza, Pierce Summers and brothers Morgan and Myles Henkes, pictured (l-r) with future Bulldog runner Luke Ruffin during this year’s Extraco Relays in Hamilton, placed second in the area 4x200-meter relay and first in the 4x400-meter relay. In addition to qualifying for the regional meet in both events, Summers advanced in the 200-meter dash, Morgan Henkes qualified in the 400-meter dash and Myles Henkes punched a ticket to regionals in the 800-meter run.