By Mickey Smith
ETX BELL SPORTS
First-year head coach, and former Bullard two-sport, all-state, Chad Sherman took the reins from Robert Ellis after four years, and compiling a 93-38 record.
After four seasons as pitching coach at his alma mater UT-Tyler, and three years at Tyler Junior College pitching coach, there has been adjustments coming with his new position.
“It’s really been a great year but there’s been a lot to learn and figure out,” said Coach Sherman about his first head coaching job, “it’s been a big change for me going from college to high school, coaching football in the fall, and teaching classes but I love it, and the support from the administration, and the entire community has been amazing.”
General Sherman and his pack of Panthers started the series slowly, but never gave in.
Vidor fell to the Panthers in an exciting three-game series to move on to play Huffman-Hargrave, this next weekend at Huntsville ISD Field.
Bi-District play saw Bullard (25-7; 10-0), lose game one, 1-2, in Vidor.
It appeared game two may be all she wrote as well with the Pirates leading 2-0 after two innings.
Very well could have been a 3-0 deficit however, Panther centerfielder Atley Jones pulled out his gun to nail a runner at the plate to save what could have been big run for the Pirates.
Bullard fought back in the bottom of the same inning as Ty Rigsby hit a sacrifice fly to score Tate Wynne and a 2-1 scoreboard.
The fifth inning was the game changer as Rigsby spearheaded the attack once again.
With two on and one out, Rigsby singled to right field to score Tate Wynne to tie the game.
The help of a balk moved runners up with pinch-hitter Bryce Roberts at the plate.
The next pitch, Roberts singled to centerfield to score Rigsby for the 3-2 lead, and what eventually would be the winning run.
Ethan Foster started the game on the hill, and senior Team Captain, Dylan Fowler combined for the win on the mound.
Game Three the Panther bats had seen enough of Pirate pitching busting out with three runs in the opening two innings at the plate.
Six runs would be plenty for the win until Jackson Holt put a final jolt in the Pirates.
The junior, Holt was ‘The Man’ in the finale. Going the distance on the mound, he had one bump on the hump in the third inning allowing the two runs to cross.
After keeping the game at 6-2, Holt then leadoff the fifth inning, dropping a bomb over the left field wall on the very first pitch, for a 7-2 Bullard cushion.
That’s all the Panthers would need as a stellar defense made play-after-play to aid the fireballing Holt.
The junior righty struck out three, walked one, gave into three hits, allowing two earned runs.
Holt was 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs, a two singles and his monster dinger, and two runs scored.
Ty Rigsby was a catalyst at the plate as with one RBI and a leadoff double to start the second inning, three-run barrage.
Ethan Foster, and Dylan Fowler both were 1-for-3, scoring twice and had one RBI apiece.
“Game one we just couldn’t get anything going and their pitcher did a great job,” the former Texas A&M and UT-Tyler pitcher, Coach Sherman said about the series win. “Then game two we got good innings out of Ethan (Foster), early on and Dylan (Fowler), did a great job closing out another close one.
“Jackson (Holt) pitched a great game and the bats finally started to come around in game three,” Sherman added. “We’ll need to start out this next series with the pedal down, and play the way we are capable and the rest will take care of itself.”
