Belton’s Upset of Class 6A No. 2 Round Rock highlight of first two days at Hardball Classic

Belton’s daunting schedule has been a documented fact in the media in 2016.

The Tigers first tournament foray of the season found them in Round Rock for the three-day Security Services Federal Credit Union 2016 Hardball Classic.

Belton upset the Texas High School Baseball’s Class 6A No. 2 ranked Round Rock Dragons at Dragon Diamond 11-8 Thursday afternoon, took a tough loss at Stony Point 9-3, won 5-3 over Cedar Ridge back at Dragon Diamond and fell to Midland in Leander 7-2.

Against the Dragons, Belton jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Breck Potvin and Xavier Haines singled. Following two outs, Trent Stafford was hit by a pitch and Nathan Vail lined a 1-0 pitch down the left field line into the corner for a bases-clearing double. Collin Mask singled in Vail to complete the inning.

Round Rock chipped away at Stafford, who drew the start for Tigers. They picked up two runs in the first, a run in the second and three runs in the third to take a 6-4 lead.

Miguel Quinones, Trey Bell and Potvin singled in succession in the top of the fourth inning to load the bases. Hobey Hiland hit a two-run single to the right centerfield gap to tie the score at 6-6.

Stafford finished the fourth inning and pitched to a batter in the fifth before giving way to Shane Mejia. The Tigers picked up four runs in the top of the sixth. With one out, Potvin walked, Haines was hit by a pitch, Hiland singled to load the bases and Reese Hohhertz lined shot off of the centerfield wall for a bases-clearing double make the score 10-6 Belton.

The Dragons scored a run to make the score 10-7 and Potvin scored Quinones on an RBI groundout to increase the score to 11-7. Round Rock scored one more run, but couldn’t draw even, as the Tigers pulled the upset.

Vail had four RBIs, Hohhertz drove home three and Hiland drove in a pair.

Mejia got credit for the win in his three innings of relief.

Belton traveled to Stony Point in a battle of the Tigers on Thursday night. Cameron Whitman drew the start and pitched well early. But Belton committed six crucial errors and it gave the opportunistic Stony Pointers several opportunities that they took advantage of.

Stony Point scored in the second and third innings. Tyler Kastner’s two-run double scored Hiland and Stafford to tie the score at 2-2 in the fourth inning. Stony Point scored once in the fourth and then worked Whitman and Haines for six runs in the fifth inning. Belton could not recover and Stony Point won by six innings.

Jake McRoberts picked up the win for Stony Point, allowing just five hits, walking three and striking out five.

Whitman went four innings, allowed five runs (two earned) on five hits, struck out four and walked one. Haines pitched two innings in relief, allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits, struck out one and walked one.

The Tigers went back to Dragon Diamond on Friday morning to take on Round Rock Cedar Ridge. Remington Lutz got his first varsity start and was shaky in the beginning, allowing a two-run triple to Jacob Mead and an RBI single to Peyton Becker.

Belton answered in the bottom of the third when Quinones singled, Brandon Rudy sacrificed him to second and Potvin singled him home to get the Tigers to within two runs at 3-1.

Lutz continued to mow down the Raiders, picking up five strikeouts along the way.

The Tigers evened the score in the fifth inning, as Potvin singled, was sacrificed to second by Bell, Hiland singled Potvin to third, Vail sacrifice fly scored Potvin and Stafford’s triple scored Hiland to tie the score at 3-3.

Belton took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning as Rudy singled, Potvin doubled for his fourth hit of the game, an error on a Bell chopper scored Rudy and Hiland singled in Potvin to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead.

After surrendering a seventh inning leadoff single to Sam Campos, Lutz retired the next three hitters for his first varsity win on the bump, giving up just three runs on four hits, walking two and striking out five.

Hayden King took the loss for the Raiders, allowing five runs (three earned) on 11 hits, walking one and striking out three.

Belton wrapped the second day of play taking on Midland at Lions Field and Leander.

The Tigers struggled against the Bulldogs, scoring five runs in the first two innings off of the starting pitcher Mejia. Mask drilled a two-run homer off of Midland starter Jackson Anuszkiewicz in the second inning to make the score 5-2. Three Belton errors hampered the Tigers’ efforts to get back into the ballgame, allowing a pair of unearned runs and they just couldn’t recover.

Mejia went 1 2/3 innings, allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits, walked two and struck out two. Kastner pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing a run on four hits, struck out seven and walked four. Haines pitched an inning, gave up one run on one hit, struck out two and walked one.

The Tigers will complete the Hardball Classic in Round Rock at McNeil High School, as they take on the Mavericks Saturday at 4 p.m. The game can be heard on KTEM-AM 1400, KTEMNews.com and on the Radio Pup Application starting at 3:45 p.m. Saturday.