Sports

HIGH HEAT- After getting off to a perfect 2-0 start with home victories over San Saba and Meridian, the Lady Bulldog softball team trekked to Rio Vista for tournament competition on Thursday and Saturday of last week. The Diamond Dogs fell to the host Rio Vista Lady Eagles in the opener, and rallied to defeat Dawson 7-2 in game two. In returning to the field for their first softball action of the year after leading the Lady Bulldog basketball team to a bi-district qualifying season, junior Morgan Mehaffey smashed a four-run grand slam and sophomore Skylar Carr went yard for a solo homerun in propelling the Lady Dogs over Dawson. On Saturday, Hamilton tied Waxahachie 5-5 in Rio Vista before falling to the eventual tournament champion Keene Lady Chargers in a competitive 3-1 contest. The Lady Bulldogs were scheduled to play in Cross Plains on Tuesday of this week and will compete in another tournament this Thursday through Saturday in Llano. Hamilton will return home to host Goldthwaite at 5:30 pm next Tuesday. Pictured, Robbey Beinemen delivers a high fastball from the mound as Isabel Flores covers the third base line in a recent 21-6 home win over Meridian. Staff photo

SAFE- Denver Poe slides safely back to first after an attempted pick off by Millsap’s lefty on the mound. Poe eventually rounded the bases and crossed home plate for Hamilton’s only run scored versus Millsap in the Bulldog’s home opener on Monday. After digging a 3-0 deficit in the first, freshman Chase Weaver took command of the mound in the middle innings for the Bulldogs and stifled Millsap’s offense. Weaver was relieved from pitching duties in the top of the sixth, and Millsap’s bats warmed up again as the visiting Bulldogs posted three additional runs. Caleb Lengefeld hit a hard grounder to the shortstop and reached base by error to advance Poe from third as Hamilton answered with one run scored in the bottom of the sixth. Following a scoreless seventh and final inning, the Dogs fell to Millsap in their season opener, 6-1. Hamilton’s junior varsity dropped a competitive 6-3 contest to Millsap following the varsity ballgame. The Bulldogs were scheduled to compete in the Rio Vista Tournament on Thursday through Saturday and will travel to Glen Rose next Tuesday. The JV is scheduled to play at 4 pm in Glen Rose, trailed by the varsity at 6. Staff photo

Hamilton High School hosted close to 300 lifters representing 22 school districts on the Larry Eilers Basketball Court last Saturday for a powerlifting meet. Competitors tested their strength in three exercises including the squat, bench press and dead lift. Results from the event will be in next week’s edition. The girls’ regional powerlifting meet will be held on March 7 at Academy High School, and the boys’ will compete at regionals in West on March 14. Pictured, under the watchful eyes of coaches Sonny De La Garza and Howard Cox and being spotted by (l-r) Cooper LeGrande, Bryson Tarpley and Keegan Votaw, HHS competitors Chasiti Ranaghan and Aiden Baker power through a squat.

For the second consecutive year, the Lady Bulldog basketball season was ended by the Jim Ned Lady Lions in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

Shooting just 22-percent from the floor in Coleman on Tuesday of last week, the Lady Bulldog basketball team suffered a 43-26 clawing from the Lady Bluecats.

After being held to just 23 points the previous Tuesday in a 34-23 road-loss to Coleman, the Bulldogs sunk their teeth into the Comanche Indians on the road last Friday, blasting the Indians, 69-40.

Under the leadership of first-year head softball coach Kady Crow and assistant Brandon Pierce, the Lady Bulldogs are off to a perfect 2-0 start in 2020. On February 7, the Lady Bulldogs opened at home with an 8-3 victory over San Saba. They continued to slap the ball around the softball diamond on Monday, rounding the bases for 21 runs scored in a 21-6 blowout victory over Meridian. The Lady Bulldogs are scheduled to compete in the Rio Vista tournament on Thursday through Saturday and will travel to Cross Plains next Tuesday, with the first pitch scheduled for 4 pm. The Bulldog baseball team is set to open their season at home next Monday. The varsity Dogs will host Millsap at 4 pm, followed by a junior varsity game at 6:30. Pictured, catcher Dezlyn Lamb snags a perfect strike from pitcher Robbey Beineman in a 21-6 Lady Bulldog victory over Meridian in Hamilton on Monday. Staff Photo

Bulldog and Lady