Moving Monday’s game to Houston was fine with coach Brent Hall.
“Every game we can get, we’ll take them,” he said.
The Tigers remained unbeaten at home this season by thumping Willow Springs 16-0 in five innings.
The game was scheduled to be played on the road but moved to Houston just a few hours before gametime due to inclement weather.
HHS is 6-0 at home compared to 2-3 on the road.
“We’ve done well here, but we do have to learn how to play a little better on the road,” Hall said. “We need to figure it out because we do have to play games on the road.”
The Tigers (8-3, 2-1 South Central Association) had no trouble quickly pulling away from Willow Springs. As the visitors on their home field, they scored five times in the first inning and were never threatened.
Junior Kyle Wilson went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored to lead the offensive charge. Tanner Cantrell, Ethan Kelley, Nathan Poynter and Ty Wilkins knocked in two runs apiece.
Kelley and Stetson Welch –– the Nos. 1 and 2 batters in the lineup –– scored three times apiece. The Tigers out-hit Willow Springs 11-2.
“When we struggle, we strike out too much,” Hall said. “We put the ball in play for the most part.”
Poynter rebounded from his first loss of the season last Thursday at Ava with a complete-game victory against the Bears. The junior right-hander struck out six while walking two.
It was a complete reversal of fortunes from the previous outing when Poynter surrendered 11 earned runs in three innings.
“He looked like he was throwing harder than he has been,” Hall said. “It was good for him to get back out there and totally forget that start at Ava.”
Over the weekend, the Tigers went 2-1 in the Plato Tournament with victories against Cabool and Newburg and a loss to the host team.
In Friday’s tournament opener, Kolby Walker and Wilson knocked in two runs apiece as HHS beat Cabool 7-3.
Kelley struck out five and allowed two earned runs in the complete-game victory. He gave up four hits and walked two.
In the second game of Friday’s doubleheader, the Tigers committed three errors –– leading to four unearned runs –– in a 6-2 loss to Plato.
On Saturday, Houston scored four times in the bottom of the seventh to edge Newburg 3-2.
Walker, who has a team-leading 17 RBIs, doubled home courtesy runner Tyler Burris to make it 2-2. The Tigers won the game when Matt Knarr, who entered the game as a courtesy runner for Walker, scored on a wild pitch.
Last Tuesday, Walker knocked in four of Houston’s five runs in a 16-5 five-inning loss at Ava.
BOX SCORES
Monday’s game
Houston 16, Willow Springs 0
HHS 518 02 – 16 11 0
WSHS 000 00 – 0 2 1
HHS (ab-r-h-bi) – Ethan Kelley ss 4-3-2-2. Stetson Welch 2b 1-3-0-1. Tanner Cantrell 3b 4-1-3-2. Whitley Welch c 3-0-0-0. Kolby Walker 1b 3-1-0-0. Nathan Poynter p 2-2-1-2. Kyle Wilson lf 3-2-2-4. Ty Wilkins cf 4-1-2-2. Trevor Motzkus rf 3-1-1-0. Matt Knarr cr 1-0-0-0. Tyler Burris cr 0-1-0-0. Totals 27-16-11-13.
2B: Kelley. SB: Wilkins 2, Cantrell, Poynter, Wilson. CS: Knarr.
Winning pitcher: Poynter (3-1)
Saturday’s game
Plato Tournament
Houston 3, Newburg 2
NHS 001 100 0 – 2 10 0
HHS 000 000 3 – 3 4 1
HHS (ab-r-h-bi) – Stetson Welch rf 2-1-1-0. Whitley Welch c 3-0-0-0. Tanner Cantrell 1b 3-0-1-1. Kolby Walker 1b 3-0-1-1. Nathan Poynter 2b 2-0-0-0. Ethan Kelley ss 3-0-1-0. Kyle Wilson lf 1-0-0-0. Ty Wilkins cf 2-0-0-0. Trevor Motzkus p 1-0-0-0. Matt Knarr cr 0-1-0-0. Tyler Burris cf 0-1-0-0. Totals 20-3-4-2.
2B: SWelch, Walker. CS: Wilson, Motzkus.
Winning pitcher: Motzkus (1-0)
Friday’s games
Plato Tournament
Plato 6, Houston 2
PHS 012 020 1 – 6 7 1
HHS 000 002 0 – 2 8 4
HHS (ab-r-h-bi) – Ethan Kelley ss 4-1-1-0. Nathan Poynter 2b 3-0-1-0. Tanner Cantrell 3b 3-1-1-1. Whitley Welch c 3-0-0-0. Kolby Walker 1b 3-0-2-1. Stetson Welch rf 3-0-2-0. Kyle Wilson lf 2-0-0-0. Ty Wilkins cf 3-0-0-0. Trevor Motzkus rf 3-0-1-0. Totals 27-2-8-2.
2B: Kelley. SB: Walker.
Winning pitcher: SWelch (2-1)
Houston 7, Cabool 3
CHS 010 020 0 – 3 4 2
HHS 015 100 x – 7 6 1
HHS (ab-r-h-bi) – Ethan Kelley p 4-0-0-0. Nathan Poynter 2b 3-2-1-0. Tanner Cantrell ss 2-1-0-0. Whitley Welch c 3-0-1-1. Kolby Walker 1b 3-1-1-2. Stetson Welch 3b 3-1-1-1. Kyle Wilson lf 3-0-2-2. Ty Wilkins cf 2-0-0-0. Tyler Burris rf 3-0-0-0. Trevor Motzkus cr 0-2-0-0. Totals 26-7-6-6.
2B: Walker, SWelch. HBP: Wilkins.
Winning pitcher: Kelley (2-1)
Last Thursday’s game
Ava 16, Houston 5
HHS 201 02 – 5 8 2
AHS 00(11) 5x – 16 9 0
HHS (ab-r-h-bi) – Ethan Kelley ss 3-0-0-0. Nathan Poyter p 3-2-2-0. Tanner Cantrell 1b 3-2-3-1. Whitley Welch c 3-0-1-0. Kolby Walker 1b 2-0-2-4. Stetson Welch 2b 2-0-0-0. Kyle Wilson lf 3-0-0-0. Ty Wilkins cf 1-0-0-0. Tyler Burris rf 1-0-0-0. Trevor Motzkus cf 0-1-0-0. Totals 21-5-8-5.
2B: Cantrell, Poynter. SF: Walker. SB: Wilkins. CS: Wilkins.
Losing pitcher: Poynter (2-1).