Aaron Cantrell and Quinton Alston knocked in three runs apiece as Houston romped Liberty 13-2 in five innings Thursday to snap a two-game losing skid.
The Tigers (7-7, 3-2 South Central Association) scored four runs in the first, third and fourth innings. They reached double digits for the fifth time this season.
Tanner Cantrell and Trevor Merckling had three hits apiece for Houston, which out-hit Liberty 14-2. Trevor Motzkus scored three times and four others scored two runs apiece.
Aaron Cantrell struck out six batters and allowed one earned run in the complete-game victory. He walked four.
Aaron Cantrell’s first-inning double brought home the Tigers’ first two runs. Alston followed with a two-run single to make it 4-0.
With HHS ahead 4-1 in the third, Alston doubled home Motzkus and Poynter singled to score Alston. An error brought home two more runs as the Tigers took a seven-run lead.
The advantage ballooned to 11 runs in the fourth. Aaron Cantrell had a RBI double, Merckling singled home a pair of runs and Alston scored via an error.
BOX SCORE
| 123 | 45 | R | H | E | |
| Houston | 404 | 41 | 13 | 14 | 2 |
| Liberty | 100 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
HOUSTON (ab-r-h-bi) – Devin Coulter ss 4-0-0-0. Kolby Walker 1b 3-2-1-0. Tanner Cantrell 3b 4-2-3-1. Whitley Welch c 1-0-1-0. Aaron Cantrell p 4-2-2-3. Quinton Alston lf 3-2-2-3. Trevor Merckling 2b 3-1-3-2. Nathan Poynter rf 3-1-1-1. Ethan Kelley cf 2-0-1-0. Trevor Motkus cr 0-3-0-0. Totals 27-13-14-10.
LIBERTY (ab-r-h-bi) – Cornman 1-1-0-0. Raider 3-0-0-0. Hedden 3-0-1-1. White 1-1-0-0. Millard 2-0-0-0. Rodriguez 2-0-0-0. Dewicle 1-0-1-0. Richison 1-0-0-0. Hellig 2-0-0-0. Totals 17-2-2-1.
2B: TCantrell 2, ACantrell 2, WWelch, Alston. SB: Cornman. CS: Coulter, Kelley.
| Houston | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| ACantrell, W | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Liberty | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| White, L | 3 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 |
| Hedden | 1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Millard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |