Tigers’ rally falls short in two-run loss to Rolla

A late rally couldn’t overcome the Houston Tigers’ early deficit.

HHS committed five errors and fell behind by seven runs in the first three innings in an 11-9 loss Tuesday to Rolla.

Senior Devin Coulter was 4-for-5 with three runs to lead the Tigers’ offense. Tanner Cantrell had three hits and knocked in a pair of runs.

HHS starter Aaron Cantrell allowed nine hits and nine runs – five earned – in five innings. He walked five and struck out five.

The Tigers (2-3) scored four times in the bottom of the seventh inning as they closed a six-run gap and brought the potential tying run to the plate. But the rally ended on the basepaths following Tanner Cantrell’s RBI single as Kolby Walker was thrown out attempting to go from first to third base.

Trailing 7-0 in the third, Houston got its first run on Walker’s sacrifice fly to score Ethan Kelley. Tanner Cantrell followed with a run-scoring triple into the right-field gap and later scored.

Quinton Alston was hit by a pitch and Coulter singled in the fourth. Both scored to make it 8-5. 

Rolla, which scored in every inning, stretched the advantage with single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. The deficit was 11-5 when the Tigers attempted to rally in their final at-bat.

Nathan Poynter’s RBI double, followed by Alston’s sacrifice fly, started the seventh-inning scoring. After Kelley and Coulter singled, Walker plated another run with a hard grounder down the third-base line. Tanner Cantrell followed with a bloop single to left field that brought home another run, but Walker was thrown out at third base to end the game.

BOX SCORE

ROLLA (ab-r-h-bi) – Satulla 5-2-0-0. Peach 3-2-2-2. Stevens 4-1-2-0. Nash 4-2-2-1. Hoffman 3-0-0-0. Ehtherton 1-0-0-0. Claypool 5-0-0-0. Remillard 3-0-2-2. Turner 4-1-1-0. Stephens 2-2-1-0. Brokkshire 0-1-0-0. Totals 34-11-10-6.

HOUSTON (ab-r-h-bi) – Coulter ss 5-3-4-0. Walker 1b 4-0-2-2. TCantrell 3b 4-1-3-2. WWelch 2-0-0-0. ACantrell p 3-1-1-0. SWelch lf 4-0-0-0. Poynter rf 4-1-1-1. Merckling 2b 1-0-0-0. Alston ph 1-1-0-1. Kelley cf 4-2-2-0. Totals 32-9-13-6.

2B: Nash, Turner, Stephens, Coulter 2, TCantrell, Poynter.  3B: TCantrell. SAC: Peach, Stephens. SF: Walker, Alston. SB: Brokkshire, ACantrell, WWelch.