Salado Eagles had 10 hits and as many runs in their dominant win over the Burnet Bulldogs April 21 to remain tied with Taylor Ducks for first place in District 25-4A with two games remaining.

The Eagles will host Llano April 24 and likely finish the season in a fight with Taylor for the outright district championship. Both teams have two district losses, including one against each other. Taylor faces bottom-dwelling Lampasas at home April 24.

Salado 10

Burnet 1

Salado Eagles scored four runs in the second inning, taking advantage of four hits on their way to a 10-1 route of the Burnet Bulldogs April 21.

Jacob Little led off the second with a double to deep left, scoring on a single to left by Garrett Lightfoot. An error put Zach Marsh on base and a single by Chase Basham loaded the bases.  Jacob Wilk doubled to left to score Marsh. Barrett Snyder was waled and Preston Payne was hit by the pitcher to plate Basham. Wilk scored on an error that put Cody Wolf on first before Burnet could get the last out.

The Eagles added another run in the third. Lightfoot walked, went to second on a passed ball and stole third base. He scored after tagging up on a dly out to deep left by Zach Marsh.

Wilk led-off the three-run fourth with a double. He went to third on a groundout by Snyder. With two outs, Preston Payne singled and stole second, scoring on a double to left by Wolf. Wolf scored on a single to left by Little, who was left stranded on first.

Salado added two in the sixth. Payne walked. Little hit a homerun over the centerfield fence for the final runs of the game.

Steven Gallardo scored the only run for Burnet, an unearned one at that,  in the third after reaching on an error.

Basham earned the win on the mound, allowing five hits and striking out four.

Peyton Kyburz struck out one pitching in relief.

Liberty Hill 0

Salado 6

Salado Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the first inning against Liberty Hill April 17 and waited over the weekend to finish their game, scoring five runs in  the fifth to win the game 6-0 April 20 at home.

Preston Payne singled with one out in the first, stole second and scored by an error by second baseman Tyler Nelson.

Barrett Snyder was hit by the pitcher to lead off the five-run fifth inning. Courtesy runner Paul Ellis reached second on a bunt by Keaton Mims to the pitcher Caleb Foster who tried to get Ellis out at second.

After a pop-up for the first out, Cody Wolf singled to score Ellis. Jacob Little doubled to score Mims and move courtesy runner Jake Harvey to third. Garrett Lightfoot struck out, but made it to first when the catcher dropped the third strike to load the bases. Chase Basham was hit by the pitcher Foster to put Harvey across home plate. Zach Marsh singled to deep left to score Little and Lightfoot.

Liberty Hill got out of the inning when Foster caught a pop-up by Snyder and threw out the runner trying to get back to third.

Wolf got the complete game win, striking out nine batters and allowing five hits but no runs to be scored.

Salado 8

Lampasas 0

Salado Eagles shut out the Lampasas Badgers 8-0 at home April 14 to hold on to second place in the race for district, allowing just three runners to reach base.

Chase Basham earned the win pitching six innings and striking out six. Hunter Goldson got two singles off of Basham and Garrett Witcher had a single. Clayton Parrish was able to reach on a dropped third strike.

Meanwhile, Salado scored a run in the third, sixth and seventh innings and five in the fourth to blow out the game.

Garret Lightfoot singled with one out in the first and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kyle King.

Barrett Snyder walked to lead off the fifth. Lightfoot and Kyle King singled to load the bases. Keaton Mims singled to score Snyder.  Cody Wolf hit a three-run double and scored when Jacob Little was thrown out at first on a dropped third strike.

Snyder walked in the sixth and scored when the bases were loaded and Preston Payne was hit by the pitcher.

Payton Kyburz scored in the seventh after leading off with a single. A bases-loaded walk brought him across the plate.

Salado 0

Hyde Park 11

Salado Eagles lost to the Hyde Park Panthers 11-0 on April 18 in a non-district game. The Eagles’ second-round district matchup with Liberty Hill was postponed due to weather April 17.

Hyde Park scored four runs in the first inning thanks to two triples. Bo Stewart hit a one-out triple and scored on a single by Johnathon Bitzer. Ryan Neville hit a two-out triple with the bases loaded before being left stranded on third to end the frame.

Stewart went three-for-three for Hyde Park, hitting a single in the second inning and scoring and hitting a two-run double in the third to lead the Panthers.

The Panthers had eight hits, including triples by Stewart, Neville and Jake Chapman.

The Eagles had four hits in the afternoon game: a double by Ryan Dunnahoo, two singles by Ryan Oakes and a single by Phillip Ellis.