Playing in a South Central Association conference game and a pair of nonconference contests last week, the Houston High School baseball team had mixed results.
The Tigers fell 10-7 in an SCA contest Thursday at Mountain Grove and then downed Plato 8-3 and routed Alton 11-1 at last Saturday’s annual Plato Spring Classic
At Mountain Grove, Houston jumped in front in the top of the first inning, getting on the board on a solo home run to left field by senior Stone Jackson and leading 3-0 after a 2-run error.
After the host Panthers got a run in the bottom of the frame, Houston added 2 more in the top of the second and then went ahead 6-1 in the fifth after Jackson doubled and scored moments later when senior Gage Yardley stole second base.
Mountain Grove then cut the deficit to 6-5 with 2 runs in the fourth inning and 2 more in the fifth.
The Tigers added a run in the top of the sixth inning after senior Aiden Kelly led off with a double, stole third and came home on a bad throw.
But the Panthers got 5 big runs in the bottom of the frame with a rally featuring only 2 hits and then held on when Houston got 2 runners on base in the top of the seventh.
The Tigers collected 11 hits in the contest, with Jackson going 3-for-4 with an RBI and 3 runs scored. Seniors Jake Allen and Sheldon Starr each had 2 hits for Houston.
Junior Shaun Buck started on the mound for the Tigers and worked 5 full innings, allowing 6 hits and 4 earned runs while striking out 5 and walking 2. Kelly pitched the sixth inning and gave up 2 hits and 2 earned runs while fanning 2 and not issuing a walk.
Houston committed 4 errors in the game, while Mountain Grove had 1.
At Plato, the Tigers and host Eagles went toe-to-toe for 5 innings, with the score tied 2-2 at that point.
Houston then scored 5 times in the top of the sixth inning to take a commanding 7-2 lead. Plato got 1 run back in the bottom of the frame, but the Tigers added 1 in the top of the seventh to close out the scoring in the contest.
The big blow during the sixth-inning rally that gave Houston the lead for good at 4-2 was a 2-run home run to right field by senior Grayson Mitchell.
Jackson went 3-for-4 with 3 singles in the contest, driving in a run, scoring a run and walking once. Mitchell went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Kelly went 2-for-4 with a double and 2 runs.
Kelly started on the mound for Houston and tossed 5 full innings, allowing no earned runs on 4 hits while fanning 8 and walking 3. Jackson pitched the last 2 innings, allowing no runs and no hits while striking out 2 and walking 1.
The Tigers wasted no time in gaining control of the contest with Alton, taking a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with a rally including 3 singles, 2 walks and 3 hit batters. Houston added 2 runs on only 1 hit in the third inning and then scored 3 times in the bottom of the fifth frame to lead by 10 and win by the run rule.
Senior Wyatt Hughes had the last swing in the game, smacking a 2-run double to right field.
The Tigers recorded 8 hits in the contest.
Jackson remained hot at the plate, going 3-for-3 with 3 singles again, an RBI and 2 runs scored. Lead-off batter Kelly went 2-for-2, with 2 singles, a walk, 3 RBIs and 2 runs.
Hughes did the pitching for Houston, working all 5 innings while allowing no earned runs and only 1 hit, while striking out 8 and walking 2.
In the third game of the 3-team, round-robin event, Alton beat Plato, 22-7.
As the Tigers approach the halfway point in the season, results have been up-and-down so far.
“It’s primarily because of our defense,” said head coach Brent Hall. “It hasn’t been very sound.”
Nonetheless, Hall feels like there’s plenty to look forward to.
“I knew there would be some bumps in the road with some guys playing some new positions,” he said. “But I’m still confident we can figure it out and attain the goal of having an opportunity to compete for a district title. That’s still within our reach.”
The Tigers (6-5, 1-2 SCA through last week) have a pair of a nonconference games on the schedule for this week: Tuesday at Norwood and Friday at Seymour. Houston then travels to Cabool for an SCA game on Monday.