Houston finally won a close game – and got a marquee victory while doing so.
Sophomore Nathan Poynter delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning Wednesday afternoon to give the Tigers an 8-7 walk-off victory against Ava.
HHS was 0-6 in games decided by two runs or less before Poynter’s heroics.
The loss was just the second of the season for the Bears and their first in the South Central Association. Instead of an outright conference title, Ava and Mountain Grove will share the SCA championship with 6-1 marks.
It took a feverish rally by the Tigers (10-9, 5-2 SCA) to force extra innings. Trailing 6-1 with three outs remaining, Houston scored five times in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie it.
After Ava scored in the top of the eighth, the Tigers’ game-winning rally began when Aaron Cantrell reached via an error. Quinton Alston walked and Trevor Merckling bunted both runners into scoring position for Poynter.
Poynter took the first pitch for a strike, then grounded the next one through the right side of the infield. Aaron Cantrell and Alston both easily scored to complete Houston’s comeback victory.
Poynter, Devin Coulter and Tanner Cantrell had two hits apiece for HHS. No. 9 hitter Ethan Kelley drove home three runs.
Aaron Cantrell went all eight innings for his third victory of the season. The senior right-hander gave up eight hits and five earned runs. He struck out nine and walked four.
Houston was held scoreless against Ava’s Ben Loge until Coulter tripled leading off the bottom of the sixth and Kolby Walker brought him home with a sacrifice fly. The Tigers trailed 6-1.
In the seventh, Alston doubled, Merckling reached on catcher’s interference and Poynter singled to load the bases with no outs. Kelley cleared the bases with a three-run triple to pull the Tigers within 6-4.
Kelley scored on a wild pitch to make it a one-run game and Coulter, who walked, tied it when he scored on Tanner Cantrell’s RBI grounder.
Loge, who struck out 10 batters in seven innings, was unable to pitch the eighth after reaching the 10-inning maximum innings pitched for the week. He allowed eight hits and five earned runs.
BOX SCORE
HOUSTON 8, AVA 7
| 123 | 456 | 78 | R | H | E | |
| Ava | 400 | 020 | 01 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
| Houston | 000 | 001 | 52 | 8 | 9 | 1 |
AVA (ab-r-h-bi) – Emerich 4-1-2-0. Boyd 2-1-0-0. Loge 3-1-2-1. Porter 3-1-0-1. Huff 4-1-1-3. Smith 3-0-0-1. Gastineau 3-1-1-0. Hunsaker 3-0-1-1. Akers 4-1-1-0. Totals 29-7-8-7.
HOUSTON (ab-r-h-bi) – Devin Coulter ss 3-2-2-0. Kolby Walker 1b 2-0-1-1. Tanner Cantrell 3b 4-0-2-1. Whitley Welch c 3-0-0-0. Aaron Cantrell p 4-1-0-0. Quinton Alston lf 3-2-1-0. Trevor Merckling 2b 2-1-0-0. Nathan Poynter rf 4-1-2-2. Ethan Kelley cf 3-1-1-1. Totals 28-8-9-7.
2B: Loge, Gastineau, TCantrell, Alston. 3B: Huff, Coulter, Kelley. SB: Akers 2, Emerich, Boyd, Porter. SAC: Boynd, Hunsaker, Merckling. SF: Walker.
| Ava | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Loge | 7 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 10 |
| Hunsaker, L | 0.1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Houston | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| ACantrell, W | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 |