Disappointing. The one word Houston baseball coach Brent Hall used to describe the 2012 season.
In a game Hall said mirrored his team’s season, the Tigers started strong, struggled in the middle innings and faded down the stretch of Saturday’s Class 3 District 10 opener. The final result –– a 7-1 season-ending loss to Salem at Tiger Field –– put the final touches on a frustrating year for the program.
Hall didn’t experience a losing season in his first 13 years leading his alma mater. Now he’s searching for answers to get the program back on track following a second straight losing campaign. The Tigers finished 2012 with a 6-15 mark.
“I’m disappointed,” Hall said. “That’s the best way to put it.”
Cuba won the district championship for the second straight year by defeating Mountain Grove 7-1 in Tuesday’s title game. The Panthers beat Salem 3-1 in Monday’s semifinals while Cuba knocked off top-seeded Ava 6-5.
Houston started a young lineup –– two freshmen and five sophomores –– throughout most of the season and in Saturday’s district opener. But Hall said it wasn’t an excuse. Most of the sophomores had starting roles with last season’s team.
The Tigers also didn’t get consistent production from their upperclassmen.
“I felt like we should have done better,” Hall said. “We had guys who had experience, and they didn’t do as well as they did last year –– for whatever reason.
“But I’m the head coach. I take full responsibility for that.”
Salem (12-9) broke open a scoreless game with three runs in the third inning and four more in the fourth. An error lead to a pair of unearned runs. Three batters reached via walks and eventually scored.
Sophomore Aaron Cantrell gave up seven hits in four innings in the loss. He walked three and struck out four.
Houston was hitless until Devin Coulter’s one-out single in the top of the sixth. Freshman Tanner Cantrell –– the team’s leading hitter –– followed with a RBI single to score Rodney Preheim, who had reached on an error.
Coulter and Tanner Cantrell’s consecutive singles were the Tigers’ lone hits against Salem starter Brady Floyd. The right-hander struck out eight and walked three in 6 2/3 innings.
“The game was a lot like our season went,” Hall said. “We played even with them for awhile, then made a key mistake and did some things to give them a cushion. After that, we got down on ourselves.”
Houston concluded the regular-season last Thursday with a 14-13 loss at Seymour.
Tanner Cantrell was 3-for-5 with five RBIs and two runs. He had two of the team’s season-high five doubles. Aaron Cantrell singled, doubled and tripled while driving in three runs.
Hall and assistant coach Ryan Munson held a campout Tuesday night with the returning players. Hall said the rebuilding process would begin immediately.
“Starting this summer, we’re going to do some things differently,” he said, “and try to make some changes that we feel will better our ballclub and get us back to the place where the program has been in the past.”
Saturday’s scores
Opening round
Salem 7, Houston 1
Cuba 9, St. James 8
Mountain Grove 9, MV-Liberty 2
Monday’s scores
Semifinals
Cuba 6, Ava 5
Mountain Grove 3, Salem 1
Tuesday’s score
Championship
Cuba 7, Mountain Grove 1