Houston 7, Mansfield 5
The Diamond Tigers took care of business on the road Tuesday, defeating Mansfield 7-5.
“We are trending in the right direction toward the end of the year,” said HHS head coach Brent Hall. “That’s what you always want as a coach.”
The host Lions got on the board in the bottom half of the first inning after the leadoff hitter reached on a single, advanced to second on a groundout, got to third on a passed ball and then scored on a single to left field.
Houston bats stayed quiet in the first two innings and senior Shaun Buck managed to pitch around two walks in the second inning to keep it at a 1 run game.
In the third inning, the Tigers responded with 6 runs. The first three batters reached on a pair of walks and an infield single, and senior Caiden Root drove 2 of them in with a single. Buck loaded the bases again with a walk and senior Kolby Sisco worked a walk to make the lead 3-1.
Sophomore Ethan Carter couldn’t take advantage of the bases loaded situation, hitting into a double play. But, with two outs, senior John Jordan hit a 2-run single and freshman Gage Smith hit an RBI single to give the Tigers a 6-1 lead.
Mansfield managed to narrow the margin to two, scoring 2 runs on a double in the fourth inning, chasing Buck from the game, and a run on a single in the fifth inning off junior Aaden Scantlin.
“Aaden pitched the last 3 innings to keep everybody’s pitch count down to be available for districts starting this weekend,” said Hall.
In the sixth inning, Houston added an insurance run on a bases-loaded hit by pitch to make the lead 7-4.
With 1 out in the final inning, Mansfield scored on a single. With bases loaded and 2 outs, Shaun Buck made a play on a fly ball in center field to win the game.
“We are fielding the ball more consistently and we’re not striking out as much at the plate, which gives us a chance to be competitive,” said Hall.
Houston (9-12; 3-4 SCA) will play Plato on Thursday for the final regular season game and senior night at Tiger Field. Class 3 District 9 Tournament play begins on Saturday against Willow Springs, also at Tiger Field.
Pitching:
- Shaun Buck (Sr.) – 3.2 IP, H, 2 R, 4 BB, 3 K
- Aaden Scantlin (Jr.) – 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), BB, 4 K
Offense:
- Caiden Root (Sr.) – 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI
- Aaden Scantlin (Jr.) – 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 SB
- John Jordan (Sr.) – 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI
- Jackson Morgan (Fr.) – 2-for-2, R, 2 BB, 2 SB
