The No. 16 McLennan Highlanders participated in the Tournament of Champions Friday and Saturday hosted by San Jacinto College at several fields throughout the Houston area, coming away with a 3-1 record for the weekend.
In the first game Friday, the Highlanders defeated the Baton Rouge Bears 5-2. Nick Urbankte picked up the win on the mound and Palmer Wenzel got the save to keep the Highlanders undefeated on the season.
Baton Rouge began the scoring with a run in the top of the second as Aidan Hodges doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by Michael Smith.
McLennan took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the second. Josh Breaux led off with a single and moved around to third on a single by Brock Morrison. Cole Haring drew a walk and Breaux scored on a sacrifice fly by Skyler Cox. Mario Vela then doubled to score Morrison.
The Highlanders added one run in the third as Brendan Venter walked, moved to second on a ground out by Josh Breaux and scored on a single by Griffin Paxton.
McLennan tacked on two more runs in the fifth as Joe Breaux led off with a bunt single and scored on a home run by younger brother Josh Breaux.
The Bears rounded out the scoring with a run in the sixth as Tyler Laporte walked, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on a single by Joseph Domingue.
In Friday's nightcap, the Highlanders fell to the No. 10 Midland Chaparrals 6-2. Jase Embry took the loss on the mound.
McLennan got on the board with Joe Breaux's home run in the bottom of the first.
Midland took the lead with two runs in the top of the second as Braden Hayward singled and scored on a home run by Eric Senior.
The Chaparrals added fours runs in the third. Chad Curtis led off with a double and Nolan Rattai and Hill Alexander were both hit by the pitch to load the bases. Alex Salcido followed with the grand slam.
The Highlanders' final run came in the bottom of the eighth as Chris Roller singled, moved around to third on a double by Venter and scored on the walk of Haring.
"It was a great first day. We played very good competition so it was exciting for our guys," head coach Mitch Thompson said. "Josh Breaux was really good at the plate in game one hitting a two-run home run and had three hits. We pitched the ball well and Urbantke got his first win. Jerry Murillo got back out there for the first time following Tommy John's surgery so that was great, and Wenzel was outstanding to close the game out."
"In the game against Midland, we played a very good opponent. We got behind 6-1, giving up a grand slam in the third inning. Our bullpen was just phenomenal. Nathan Gonzales threw four shut-out innings, Colton Bailey threw an inning and Bailey Childress threw an inning to give us opportunities. We had opportunities in the eighth and ninth innings to win, but we couldn't get the big hit. It's disappointing to have our first loss but, playing the competition that we are playing, you are not going to go unbeaten. We learned some things and it was a good day," Thompson said.
McLennan bounced back into the win column with a high-scoring 21-12 victory over the Alvin Dolphins in Saturday's first game. Chandler Cannon picked up the win on the mound.
The Highlanders showed their offensive prowess early on scoring six runs in the top of the second. Jackson Nichols drew a walk and Mario Vela singled. Both runners scored on a double by George Callil, and Joe Breaux also walked. Venter followed with the three-run homer. Josh Breaux then walked, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on a double by Nic Motley.
Alvin responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning. Matthew Merino and Tyler Smith both singled. Alan Campero doubled to score Merino. A wild pitch scored Smith and moved Campero to third. Jean Correa drew a walk. Trey Albaugh followed with a three-run homer.
The Highlanders added a run in the third as Nichols singled and scored on a double by Roller.
The Dolphins took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the third. Merino and Zayne Williams both singled. Smith followed with a sacrifice hit that was mishandled by the Highlanders, allowing Merino to score and putting Smith and Williams safe at second and third, respectively. Williams scored on a sacrifice fly by Campero, and Smith scored on a single by Albaugh.
Two more Alvin runs scored in the fourth. Ruban Almagauer singled and scored on a triple by Merino. Merino then scored on a double by Williams.
McLennan cut the Alvin lead to one with two runs in the fifth. Haring singled and Nichols doubled. Haring then scored on a ground out by Vela, and Nichols scored on a ground out by Callil.
The Highlanders took the lead with five runs in the top of the sixth. Josh Breaux singled and advanced around to third on an Alvin error. Motley singled and Haring then singled to score Josh Breaux. Nichols followed with a three-run homer and Vela hit a solo home run.
Alvin's final two runs came in the bottom of the sixth. Smith doubled and scored on a double by Campero. Campero then scored on a double by Correa.
McLennan exploded for seven runs in the top of the eighth inning to secure the win. Motley had a solo home run. Haring and Nichols both singled. Vela singled to score Haring. Callil and Roller both singled bringing Nichols in to score. Vela and Callil scored on two Alvin errors, and Joe Breaux followed with a two-run homer.
The Highlanders closed out the tournament with a 10-2 victory over the Northwest Florida State Raiders, a rematch from the 2015 NJCAA World Series Championship. Logan Freeman picked up the win.
McLennan began the scoring with a run in the top of the second as Griffin Paxton walked, moved to second on an error, advanced to third on a single by Morrison and scored on a ground out by Nichols.
Three more Highlander runs scored in the third. Callil and Griffin Williams both walked. Roller followed with a sacrifice to advance the runners. Joe Breaux walked to load the bases. Callil scored on a wild pitch and Williams scored on a single by Venter. Joe Breaux then scored on a sacrifice fly by Paxton.
McLennan increased its lead with two runs in the fifth. Morrison doubled, Nichols walked and Nick Thornquist singled loading the bases. Callil and Haring both drew walks bringing Morrison and Nichols in to score.
Northwest Florida State scored one in the bottom of the fifth as Mike Salvatore doubled and scored on a double by Ross Goforth.
The Raiders' final run came in the top of the seventh. Jake Corso walked but was out at second on a fielder's choice by Salvatore. Salvatore then stole second and scored on a double by Grayson Moyes.
The Highlanders scored two in the eighth. Joe Breaux walked and stole second, Venter then doubled to score Breaux, and Venter scored on a single by Vela.
McLennan rounded out the scoring with two runs in the ninth. Thornquist and Callil both singled and advanced on a double steal. Roller singled to score Thornquist, and Callil scored on a fielder's choice by Joe Breaux.
"Overall, to come through the Tournament of Champions with three wins is really good. We played really good teams and really challenged ourselves, and to come out of it 3-1 was big," Thompson said. "Everything wasn't perfect, but our team battled. Cannon was huge for us coming in out of the bullpen and giving us three innings, really solidifying the win. We had a bunch of guys with big days offensively. It was a really good day to hit with the wind blowing out at San Jac."
"Freeman was fantastic on the mound. If we get our starting pitching going with the depth of our bullpen and our position players, I really like where this team can go. I'm very pleased with the weekend. To play four games in 32 hours is really taxing on a ball club, especially with travel. I'm very proud of these guys, and we will get after it again next week at Midland," Thompson said.
McLennan 5, Baton Rouge 2
Baton Rouge 010 001 000 – 2 5 2
McLennan 021 020 00x – 5 10 1
Jon Jones, Keith Meier (5), Logan Ammons (8) and Nicholas Cucci. Nick Urbantke, Jerry Murillo (5), Michael Cugini (7), Palmer Wenzel (8) and Josh Breaux. WP: Urbantke; LP: Jones; SV: Wenzel. Leading hitters – Baton Rouge: Joseph Domingue (1-3, RBI), Aidan Hodges (3-4, 2B) and Michael Smith (0-3, RBI); McLennan: Josh Breaux (3-4, HR, 2 RBI), Griffin Paxton (2-4, 3B, RBI), Skyler Cox (1-3, 2B, RBI) and Mario Vela (1-3, 2B, RBI). Record: McLennan 7-0.
Midland 6, McLennan 2
Midland 024 000 000 – 6 9 1
McLennan 1000 000 010 – 2 6 2
Callan Johnson, Aaron Weseman (8), Kyle Mitchell (9) and Alex Salcido. Jase Embry, Nathan Gonzales (4), Colton Bailey (8), Brady Childress (9) and Nic Motley. WP: Johnson; LP: Embry. Leading hitters – Midland: Alex Salcido (2-4, HR, 4 RBI), Braden Hayward (2-4), Eric Senior (2-4, HR, RBI) and Chad Curtis (1-2, 2B); McLennan: Joe Breaux (1-3, HR, RBI), Brendan Venter (1-5, 2B), Josh Breaux (1-5, 2B) and Nic Motley (2-4, 3B). Record: McLennan 7-1.
McLennan 21, Alvin 12
McLennan 061 025 070 – 21 22 1
Alvin 053 202 000 – 12 18 3
Bailey Horn, Jason Blanchard (2), Chandler Cannon (6) and Jackson Nichols. Jesse Ramirez, Noah Sills (3), Trent Shoulders (7), Cameron Calhoun (9) and Zayne Williams. WP: Cannon; LP: Sills. Leading hitters – McLennan: Chris Roller (2-5, 2B, 2 RBI), Joe Breaux (2-4, HR, 2 RBI), Brendan Venter (2-5, HR, 3 RBI), Nic Motley (3-6, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Cole Haring (3-4, RBI), Jackson Nichols (4-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI), Mario Vela (3-5, HR, 3 RBI) and George Callil (2-5, 2B, 3 RBI); Alvin: Jean Correa (2-4, 2B, RBI), Trey Albaugh (3-6, HR, 4 RBI), Troy Alexander (2-4, 2 2B), Matthew Merino (3-5, 3B, RBI), Zayne Williams (2-5, 2B, RBI), Tyler Smith (2-3, 2B) and Alan Camperio (2-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI). Record McLennan 8-1.
McLennan 10, Northwest Florida State 2
McLennan 013 020 022 – 10 12 0
Northwest Florida State 000 010 100 – 2 5 1
Logan Freeman, Connor Heffron (6), Kyrell Miller (7), Josh Breaux (8), Hunter Spaeth (9) and Nick Thornquist. Cameron Sanders, Cason Greathouse (5), John Barr (7) and Joe Guidry. WP: Freeman; LP: Sanders. Leading hitters – McLennan: Chris Roller (1-3, RBI), Joe Breaux (0-4, RBI), Brendan Venter (2-6, 2B, RBI), Brock Morrison (4-5, 2B), Griffin Paxton (0-2, RBI), Jackson Nichols (1-4, RBI), George Callil (1-2, RBI), Mario Vela (1-1, RBI) and Cole Haring (0-1, RBI); Northwest Florida State: Mike Salvatore (1-3, 2B), Ross Goforth (1-3, 2B, RBI) and Grayson Moyes (1-4, 2B, RBI). Record: McLennan 9-1.
