Setting aside their aluminum bats for a while, the Houston High School baseball team began the 2026 season last Saturday at Tiger Field with a pair of games in the annual Champs Fitness Wood Bat Tournament.
The Diamond Tigers split their two contests, downing Ellington, 11-2, and then falling to Alton 1-0.
Houston had a rocky start to the first game, as Ellington scored 2 runs in the top of the first inning.
Freshman Knox McCloy started on the mound for the Tigers, and likely felt nervous. He hit the Whippets’ first two batters, gave up a single to load the bases and then walked in the first run of the contest.
The next batter was out on a fly ball to freshman Stryker Sloan in center field, and Sloan turned a double play by gunning down a runner with a bullet to junior catcher Jasper McCloy at home plate.
Ellington got another run on an error, but never scored again as Knox McCloy settled in and didn’t allow another hit, while striking out 6.
The Tigers scored once in the first inning, twice in the second and then ran away with 8 runs in the third frame.
The game was halted during the fourth inning due to a time rule regarding tournament games.
Sloan and Knox McCloy both had multi-hit outings for Houston, as Sloan went 2-for-3 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and a run scored, and McCloy went 2-for-3 with a double, 2 RBIs and 2 runs.
The Tigers finished with 9 hits and benefited from 7 walks.
SCANTLIN’S NICE OUTING SQUANDERED
In the pitchers’ duel against Alton, senior Aaden Scantlin pitched all 6 innings for Houston, allowing 5 hits while fanning 7 and walking only 1.
But junior Kade Clary was money on the mound for the Comets, allowing only 2 hits while striking out 10 and not issuing a walk.
Alton scored the only run of the contest with 2 outs in the top of the fourth inning on an RBI single by sophomore Kendrik Sechrest.
Houston’s only hits were singles by sophomore Jackson Morgan in the third inning and Sloan in the fourth.
With the results, Ellington went away with a record of 0-2, while Alton was at 3-0.
“We had a lot of guys get their feet wet this weekend in their first varsity action,” said HHS head coach Brent Hall. “I thought everybody competed well. We had a few more walks and hit batters than I would like, but that was probably due to being nervous. At the plate we had too many strikeouts and need to put the ball in play more consistently. This too should change, with these guys getting more experience with every game.”
The Tigers committed only 1 error in each game.
“Defensively, we played good,” Hall said. “Aaden pitched a great game versus Alton and did what he needed to do pitching against a good team. Overall, we competed well and this team will improve every day.”
Going back to metal bats, the Diamond Tigers (1-1 through last week) are in the field this week at the annual Stoutland Spring Classic tournament. The event’s unusual format includes four teams in a bracket (Houston, Plato, Bourbon and Dixon) and three in a pool (Stoutland, Conway and Laquey), with bracket play on Monday and Wednesday and pool play on Tuesday. The top three teams in the bracket and pool will compete Thursday for first, second and third place.
Houston defeated Plato in a first-round matchup on Monday.
The Tigers return to their home field next week, hosting Seymour on Monday (March 30) and beginning South Central Association conference play with a home game against Liberty on Tuesday (March 31).
Now in his 29th year at the helm of HHS baseball, Hall has a chance to reach the 400-win level this season, as his career record stood at 390-251 following the opening weekend’s results.
