The Houston High School baseball team got out to a slow start in the Champs Fitness Wood Bat tournament on Friday and Saturday at Tiger Field.
“We struggled at times this weekend defensively, putting the ball in play and at times not throwing enough strikes,” said HHS head coach Brent Hall. “We had some moments where we played decently, but will need more consistency to be able to compete at a higher level. We played much better in our final game against Winona and I am hopeful we can build off that.”
Game 1: Mexico (MO) 9, Houston 0
The Tigers were shut out in their tournament opener, as Mexico did all its scoring in the second and third innings of the 4.5-inning contest.
Houston had an early opportunity to score but stranded runners on second and third in the first inning. Mexico responded with a 5-run second inning, capitalizing on walks, base hits and errors. The Bulldogs extended their lead in the third with an RBI single, a balk and a two-run double.
Pitching:
- Shaun Buck (Sr.) – 2 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 R (3 ER), 1 K
- Logan Dixon (Sr.) – 2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 K
Offense:
- Caiden Root (Sr., C) – 2 of the team’s 3 hits
Game 2: Halfway 10, Houston 3
Offensive struggles continued for Houston, managing just 3 hits against Halfway. The Cardinals tallied 11 hits over 5 innings to secure the win.
Pitching:
- Caiden Root (Sr.) – 3 IP, 7 H, 7 R (6 ER), 3 BB, 4 K
- John Jordan (Sr.) – 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, BB, 2 K
Offense:
- Ethan Carter (So., INF/OF) – 2-run single in the fourth inning
Game 3: St. Pius X 11, Houston 1
Despite holding a 1-0 lead into the third inning, Houston could not contain St. Pius X’s offense. The Lancers took control in the later innings and secured an 11-1 victory.
Pitching:
- Kolby Sisco (Sr.) – 3.1 IP, 9 H, 9 R (8 ER), 3 BB, 4 K
- Ryan Painter (Jr.) – 0.1 IP, H, 2 R, BB
- Ethan Carter (So.) – 0.1 IP, K
Offense:
- Caiden Root (Sr., C) – 2 of Houston’s 3 hits
Game 4: Houston 8, Winona 3
The Tigers rebounded with an 8-3 win over Winona, securing their first victory of the season. Houston struck early with 3 first inning runs, courtesy of an RBI groundout by Sisco, a wild pitch and an RBI single from sophomore Aaron McCarthy.
Winona closed the gap to 3-2 in the second inning, but Houston responded with a 5-run fourth inning to take control and finish the game in 5 innings.
Pitching:
- Aaden Scantlin (Jr.) – 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R (0 ER), BB, 7 K
Offense:
- Scantlin – 1-for-3, RBI
- John Jordan (Sr.) – 2-for-2, 2 R, BB