Lady Cats Lose First Game to Forney; Game Two Saturday
The Forney Lady Rabbits exhibited their quick striking offense while greatly limiting the Lady Cats’ softball team’s offense in a 14-2 victory in Forney Friday night.
The Lady Cats actually led briefly scoring twice in the top of the first inning. The Lady Cats first two hitters, Alyssa Abron and Kelsey Wallace, got on base and scored. Alli Fite had one of only two Lady Cats hits and she drove home a run in the top of the first. Forney answered with four runs of their own in the first and they added five more runs in the bottom of the second to go up 9-2. Another five runs scored in the bottom of the fourth to make it 14-2. The game was called after the top of the fifth with Forney up 14-2.
Sadie Stroud got the only other Lady Cats’ hit. The Lady Cats did manage to draw five walks. Lady Cats pitcher Bailey Haggerty had a tough night in the circle pitching four innings and allowing twelve hits, fourteen runs, twelve earned runs with six walks and three strikeouts. The Lady Cats also had an error.
The Lady Cats will attempt to even the series as they host Forney in game two at Lady Cat Park Saturday at 11 a.m. Game three, if needed, will take place right after game two. Hear the games on KSST.
Panthers Season Ends With Area Loss to Union Grove
Union Grove won their Area series with the North Hopkins’ baseball team taking a pair of games, 4-2 and 4-1 at Mesquite’s Tillery Field Friday.
In game one Union Grove led all the way and held off the Panthers, 4-2. Union Grove outhit the Panthers six to four. Wyatt Wharton took the pitching loss going five and two-thirds innings allowing four hits and three runs with only two runs earned. Wharton also struck out four and walked six. Senior Chase Williams went the final inning and a third allowing two hits and an earned run while striking out three and walking one. Victor Rojo had the only RBI for the Panthers. Rojo, Wyatt, Wharton and Williams had the Panthers hits. The Panthers stole four bases.
The Panthers lost game two in heartbreaking fashion. The game was scoreless going into the bottom of the sixth when Union Grove scored four runs. The Panthers could manage to get only one of them back in the top of the seventh. Wyatt pitched all six innings allowing five hits and four earned runs. Wyatt also struck out three and walked one. The Panthers outhit Union Grove six to five. Williams was 3 for 3 with a stolen base. Wharton, Brycen Gillespie and Jessie Rivera all had one hit apiece. Both teams committed two errors.
After the games, North Hopkins Head Baseball Coach Tim Henderson issued a statement saying his team played good baseball Friday while adding it just wasn’t their day. He complimented Union Grove for executing their offense and for getting timely hits when they needed them. Coach Henderson said he could not be prouder of his boys for competing until the very end. He said the day had a wild finish. Coach Henderson noted his team was district champs for the second year in a row, was bi-district champs and compiled a season record of 17-9-1, which ties his personal best for wins in a season.
Food for Thought: Local Restaurant Makes Generous Donation
Burgers and Fries made another wonderful $ 2,000.00 donation to the Meal A Day Program. A HUGE Thank You to all of their thoughtful employees and generous customers who throw tips in the donation jar when they pick up their food.
The Very Humble, Very Hardworking Earthworm By Susan Brewer
By Susan Brewer, A Hopkins County Master Gardener
Do you remember the old rhyme? “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll go into the garden to eat worms. Long thin slimy ones, short fat juicy ones, itsy bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms”. What a bad rap earthworms get, yet they are a vital resource in enriching our soil whether it be in your yard, vegetable garden, house plants or the cornfield.
Charles Darwin 100 years ago reportedly wrote that it may be doubted whether there are as many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as have these lowly organized creatures.
The common earthworm sometimes called natures’ plow is well worth another look. The most common worm in this part of Texas is the Lumbricus terrestris or night crawler. They are natural composters. This is a worm most often seen after torrential rains and at night particularly when the ground is moist from dew or a rain. They can be large, with a darker colored head end and have a thickened band of discoloration close to the front of the body. The “tail” end of the worm tends to be flatter than the “head”. They provide improvement to soil fertility by tunneling deeply into the ground, sometimes several feet deep, pulling below the surface deposited organic matter such as leaf fall or manure either for food or to plug its burrow. Once in the burrow, the worm will shred the leaf and partially digest it and mingle it with the earth. Worms end result (castings) can contain 40 percent more humus than the top 9” of soils where the worm is living. In addition to the dead organic matter, the earthworm also ingests other minute soil particles. The excretions left behind after the worm has digested its intake are called castings. Castings contains minerals and plant nutrients that are changed to chemicals that in turn enrich the soil within a surrounding six inch radius. In conditions where humus is plentiful the weight of casts may be greater than 10 lbs. per year per worm! The earthworms’ physical activity of burrowing creates a multitude of channels through the soil and is of great value enabling processes of aeration and drainage.
Most worms are hermaphrodites (organisms that have both male and female reproductive organs at the same time). Reproduction in earthwormsresults in cocoons about the size of a match head or a small grain of rice. Color-wise they start out as a luminescent pearly white and through the maturing process of the soon to be baby worms will end up a reddish color. This process takes about 3 weeks and results in 1 to several baby worms being hatched. These cocoons can survive through the winter months ensuring the survival of earthworms. Some adults will hatch and die in the same year depending on conditions such as dryness, temperature or predators. Some earthworms however, have been known to live 6-7 years.
Having talked about common earthworms in Texas and extolling their virtues, there are some bad guys out there too. One is the terrestrial hammerhead flatworm Bipalian kewense, recognizable by a half-moon shaped head – think hammerhead shark. This one is a known predator of worms. Not only that, but they are detrimental to the environment. They are typically light-colored with dorsal stripes. These should be destroyed. Chopping them into pieces causes them to multiply because they can regenerate from the pieces. Effective treatment methods include citrus oil, vinegar or salt. Apply these products directly to this worm.
Another useful benefit of earthworms is vermiculture. Vermiculture is the practice of feeding organic waste to earthworms commonly known as the red wiggler or the tiger worm. The night crawler, which burrows deeper than the vermiculture process requires, is not recommended for this practice. Vermiculture can be safely done in your house or other specially designated areas in special containers. Previously discarded kitchen waste is converted to material that can use on your houseplants and in your garden. You and your children gain a better understanding of one of the lesser-advertised methods of recycling and start thinking about the interdependencies so important for us and the planet we live on.
There is economic value in vermiculture. Earthworms are sold all over the world not only for vermiculture in large quantities but can also be used as food for human consumption. Noke is a word used by the Maori of New Zealand and refers to earthworms that are considered delicacies for their chiefs. These sales result in an industry worth millions of dollars for both Canada and the US.
A very interesting fact emerged from a research article showing that there is a decay of low-density polyethylene by bacteria extracted from earthworms guts Ref: Science of the Total Environment 624:753-757 Dec. 2017. Could this solve the ever-increasing problems of the hazardous amounts of plastics accumulating the world over?
References: aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu
Worm Links extension.illinois.edu
Worms Eat My Garbage 2017 by Mary Applehof and Joanne Olszewki
PJC-Sulphur Springs Welding Shop Certified 35 Welders
FINDING PERFECTION Welding Instructor Matt Siddens, center, checks a welding project completed by PJC-Sulphur Springs Center student Eli Preas, left, during certification exercises this week. Looking on at right is night class instructor John Glasco. The PJC-Sulphur Springs welding shop certified 35 welders, including dual credit students from Commerce, Cumby and Caddo Mills.
Lady Cats, Lady Rabbits Meet in Regional Quarterfinal Series
The Lady Cats’ softball team and other teams in their district spent the entire district schedule trying to avoid getting matched up with the powerful Forney Lady Rabbits in bi-district. But if a team has big playoff goals, you can’t avoid them forever.
The Lady Cats and Lady Rabbits now meet in a Regional Quarterfinal Series. Lady Cats Coach David Carrillo was hoping to win a toss to make it a one-game playoff. Forney’s Head Coach, a good friend of Coach Carrillo’s, won the toss and went with a series. Forney’s district would not allow a Thursday (May 10) game because there was testing at Forney earier Thursday. Sulphur Springs has its’ prom Saturday (May 12) night. All that left only Friday (May 11)and early Saturday for games.
Game one at 7 p.m. Friday is at Forney. Game two is at Lady Cat Park Saturday at 11 a.m. With a game three, if necessary, occuring after game two. Coach Carrillo said in order to make a statement or to see how good you are you have to play the best. In an Area round series, Forney defeated last year’s state champs, The Colony. The Lady Cats scrimmaged at Forney back on January 29.
Wildcats Face Prosper at Rockwall High
For the second time in four years, the Wildcats’ baseball team will meet Prosper in the playoffs. The Eagles beat the Wildcats, two games to zero, in the fourth round on their way to a state championship in 2015.
Prosper’s Head Baseball Coach Rick Carpenter, father of St. Louis Cardinal Matt Carpenter, has over 800 baseball wins and several state championships. He came to Prosper from Houston Elkins. Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack said when you combine Carpenter’s winning ways with all the talent available in Prosper you get a winning culture. Coach Hammack said the Eagles, like Wylie East, have a main pitcher who is a lefty. Coach Hammack said the Prosper lefty throws a bit harder than the Raiders’ lefthander. Coach Hammack said it should be a great series for the fans.
We will bring you Wildcats’ baseball live on KSST Radio Friday (May b11) night at 7:30 p.m. from Rockwall High School. We will also videotape the game for replay later on Channel 18 on Suddenlink Cable.
Taylor Finishes Seventh in Texas Class 5A Long Jump
Lady Cat Track athlete Imani Taylor finished seventh in the state of Texas in Class 5A in long jump at the State Track Meet Friday (May 11) morning at UT Austin. Taylor had her best jumps on her first and last jumps, getting 18-feet and 1 inch each time. Indications were that Taylor was jumping into a 2.6 mile per hour wind. She was only about 5 inches out of second place. Being such a competitor, Taylor was initially upset by her performance according to Lady Cat Track Coach Triston Abron. Coach Abron said she soon realized she was the seventh best in the state of Texas.
Taylor received the Forest Gregg Fighting Heart Award at the All-Sports Banquet earlier this week.
CANHelp’s “Poverty Simulation”…What Is It?
Will you start out the month with only a $10 bill to meet your family’s basic needs? … Or, will you be one of the unlucky ones? You’ll find out when you join us for a unique opportunity to experience the virtual realities of poverty.
CANHelp will host a Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) on Wednesday, May 16th from 9:00am – 1:00pm at The ROC located at 115 Putman St., Sulphur Springs TX 75482. This learning tool has been created as a way to help people understand the realities of poverty. During a simulation, participants role-play the lives of low-income families. Some are TANF recipients, some are disabled, and some are senior citizens on Social Security. They have the stressful task of providing for basic necessities and shelter on a limited budget during the course of four 15-minute “weeks.” They interact with human service agencies, grocers, pawnbrokers, bill collectors, job interviewers, police officers and others.
Although play money is used, CAPS is not a game. It is a simulation that enables participants to look at poverty from a variety of angles and then to recognize and discuss the potential for change within their local communities. The simulation was designed to sensitize those who frequently deal with low-income families, as well as to create a broader awareness of the realities of poverty among policymakers, community leaders and others. It has been made available by the Missouri Association for Community Action. CANHelp purchased the simulation kit from the Missouri Association for Community Action to use within Hopkins and the surrounding counties to bring more awareness about those living in poverty or even just above. Even though CAPS originated in Missouri, the simulation is very relevant to what people in rural and urban communities in Texas face on a daily and monthly basis.
We invite you or someone from your staff to participate in or to observe the Poverty Simulation. I think you will find it provides an intriguing opportunity to describe a very real challenge to our community. Please contact me at [email protected] or 903-885-9797 ext. 1 if you would like additional information or would like to register for the simulation. While invitations were sent out to community leaders, we would love if you could share this information prior to the simulation to promote the event. The event is free and seating is still available at this time but is limited. We look forward to seeing you there.
