The Varsity Warhorses got lots of experience in the Marion Tournament last week, facing off against Luling, Navarro, Cameron Yoe, Lago Vista, and La Vernia, coming away with two wins and three losses.
Luling
The Warhorses started the tournament against Luling on Thursday, Feb. 23, and used a quick start to fuel their way to a 6-1 win.
Leadoff hitter Dillon Ricord got the offense off on the right foot, smacking a double to centerfield in the top of the 1st inning. Newt Crouch followed by putting the ball into play and drawing an error from Luling’s third baseman, and Ricord’s smart base-running allowed him to cross the plate for the first run of the game.
Crouch stole both second and third base, and scored on Jack Zimmerle’s groundout for a 2-0 lead.
Luling scored their sole run of the game in the bottom of the 3rd inning. An error allowed the leadoff batter to reach base, and after stealing second base, the runner advanced to third on a groundout, and then scored on a single.
Devine was held scoreless until the top the 6th inning, when they plated four more runs. Crouch hit a one-out single to center, Zimmerle drew a walk, and both moved up a base on a passed ball. Matt Ornelas drew a two-out walk, Crouch scored on a passed ball, and Zimmerle followed suit thanks to a Luling error on Corben Boggs’ pop-up. Isiah Oropez replaced Boggs on the bases as a pinch runner, and both he and Ornelas scored on Isaac Solis’s line-drive single to right to cement the Warhorses’ 6-1 win.
Batting: Ricord 1-3; Crouch 1-3, 1 RBI; Zimmerle 0-2, 1 BB, 1 RBI; Long 0-3; Ornelas 0-1, 2 BB; Connor Schmidt 0-1, 1 BB; Boggs 1-1, 1 RBI; Solis 1-3, 2 RBI; Dalton Kramer 0-2, 1 BB; Kyler Brown 0-2.
Pitching: Ricord 3 IP, 3 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts; Boggs 1.0 IP, 2 strikeouts.
Navarro
Devine’s offense was stifled until the last inning of the game in 4-1 loss to Navarro later on Feb. 23.
Navarro used two doubles and a single to score twice in the bottom of the 2nd inning, and added two more runs in the bottom of the 5th thanks to a walk, an error, and a passed ball.
The Warhorses’ lone run came in the top of the 6th inning. Crouch singled to right field and stole both second and third base before scoring on Zimmerle’s groundout.
Batting: Ricord 1-3; Crouch 1-3, 2 SB; Zimmerle 0-3, 1 RBI; Long 0-2, 1 BB; Ornelas 0-2; Schmidt 0-1, 1 BB; Solis 0-2; Kramer 0-2.
Pitching: Solis 4 IP, 2 ER, 2 hits, 2 strikeouts; Boggs 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout.
Cameron Yoe
Devine’s first game on Friday, Feb. 24 was against Cameron Yoe, and the Warhorse offense broke through for an 11-3 win.
Devine put seven runs on the board in the top of the 3rd inning. Kramer walked and Brown reached on an error, and back-to-back one-out singles by Crouch and Zimmerle drove both in. Long hit a sacrifice fly to center to knock in Crouch, and Zimmerle scored on a single by Boggs. After Solis reached base on an error, Schmidt singled to center to drive in Boggs, and Solis later scored on a error by the Cameron Yoe center fielder. Ricord put a ground ball into play and drew another Cameron Yoe error that allowed Schmidt to score for a 7-0 lead.
The Warhorses added four more runs in the top of the 4th inning. Zimmerle walked, and Long and Boggs were both hit by pitches to load the bases with one out. Solis singled to drive in Zimmerle, Long scored on Schmidt’s groundout, Boggs scored on a wild pitch, and Ornelas singled in Solis for a commanding 11-0 lead.
Cameron Yoe got three runs back in the bottom of the 4th thanks to a walk, consecutive singles, and a double.
Batting: Ricord 0-3; Crouch 1-3, 1 RBI; Zimmerle 1-1, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 1 SB; Long 0-1, 1 RBI; Boggs 1-2, 1 RBI; Solis 1-3, 1 RBI; Schmidt 1-3, 2 RBI, 1 SB; Kramer 1-1, 1 BB; Ornelas 1-1, 1 RBI; Brown 0-2, 1 BB.
Pitching: Schmidt 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 hits, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts.
Lago Vista
The Warhorses jumped out to a quick lead against Lago Vista, but gave up crooked numbers in the both the 1st and 2nd innings to fall 7-6.
Leadoff hitter Ricord singled in the top of the 1st inning, then stole second and took third on Crouch’s groundout before scoring on Zimmerle’s single to right.
Lago Vista struck back immediately, using a single a walk, a double, and consecutive sacrifice flies to go ahead 3-1.
Devine got one back in the top of the 2nd inning. Back-to-back singles by Kramer and Brown and a walk by Ricord loaded the bases with one out. Kramer scored on Crouch’s groundout, but the Warhorses squandered any further scoring opportunities thanks to consecutive strikeouts.
Lago Vista increased their lead to 7-2 in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Lago Vista had just three singles, but used those in conjunction with and two hit batters to score four times.
The Warhorses were held scoreless until the top of the 4th inning, when their rally was cut short by one run. Ricord drew a walk and Crouch was hit by a pitch, Zimmerle doubled to right to drive in both runners. Long and Solis both singled, and Long later scored on a passed ball before the game ended on a groundout to first.
Batting: Ricord 1-1, 2 BB, 1 SB; Crouch 0-2, 1 RBI; Zimmerle 2-3, 3 RBI; Long 1-3; Boggs, 1 BB; Oropeza 0-1, 1 BB, 1 SB; Solis 1-2, 1 BB, 1 RBI; Ornelas 0-3; Kramer 2-3; Brown 1-2.
Pitching: Boggs 0 IP, 2 ER, 1 hit, 1 walk; Kramer 2.0 IP, 5 ER, 4 hits, 1 walk; Brown 1.0 IP, 1 hit.
La Vernia
Devine took a quick lead over La Vernia in their game on Saturday, Feb. 25, but hurt their own cause with seven errors in a 7-8 loss.
The Warhorses struck quickly in the top of the 1st inning, scoring all but one of their runs. Ricord started the game with a double, Crouch reached on La Vernia’s sole error of the game, and both scored on Zimmerle’s single to center. Long walked, Boggs singled to drive in Zimmerle, and Solis walked to load the bases with no outs. Kramer drew a one-out walk to drive in Long, and Brown knocked in Boggs with a sacrifice fly to right for a 6-0 lead.
Six Devine errors over the course of the next two innings allowed La Vernia to put five runs on the board despite generating just two hits over the same period. La Vernia tied the game 6-6 in the bottom of the 3rd inning thanks to a walk and a single.
Devine’s final run came in the top of the 4th inning. Ricord singled, stole both second and third base, and Long drew a two-out walk before Ricord was forced home on a balk by the La Vernia pitcher.
Another Warhorse error helped La Vernia complete their comeback in the bottom of the 5th. After advancing to second on a fielder’s choice, the La Vernia runner scored on a triple, and that hitter then scored the winning run on a passed ball.
Batting: Ricord 2-3, 2 SB; Crouch 0-3, 1 SB; Zimmerle 2-3, 2 RBI; Long 2 BB; Boggs 1-3, 1 RBI; Solis 1-2, 1 BB; Schmidt 0-3; Kramer 0-2, 1 BB, 1 RBI; Brown 0-1, 2 RBI.
Pitching: Ricord 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 3 strikeouts; Solis 2.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout.
The Warhorses will be in action again this coming weekend in the Cross the Creek Classic at Warhorse Field.
By Marly Davis
Staff Writer