After losing to Iowa on Thursday in their first game of the Sulphur Golden Tornado Baseball kickoff tournament, the Tors seemed to be back on track with 10-0 win over Port Neches-Groves in their first game of the tournament on Saturday. But errors and a lack of hits with runners on base came back to haunt them as they lost 6-1 to PNG and 10-5 Iowa to close out the tournament.
Over four games, the Tors (2-3) committed nine errors and left 32 runners stranded.
"We are still struggling in hitting," Tor baseball head coach Ron Riley said. "We are hitting too many fly balls and taking too many fast balls.
"We are not doing a good enough job up and down the lineup. One game we played real good defense. It is not anything that people our doing to us. It is what we are doing to ourselves. We are just imploding from inside and letting teams beat us."
The Tors will look to get back on track on Monday when they host Port Neches-Groves at 5 p.m.
Tors 10, PNG 0
SULPHUR-After Friday's games were cancelled because of bad weather, the Tors took advantage of the improved weather conditions for a 10-0 win over PNG on Saturday.
Stephen Pennick had a perfect game going through five innings before giving up a leadoff single to Tanner Jorgenson in the top of the sixth inning. Pennick finished with a one-hitter while striking out six and walking none.
The Tors bats came alive in the first inning with three hits after being held to one by Iowa on Thursday. Austin Shepherd led off with a single and later scored on an error. Logan LeJeune hit a single to left field and Josh East followed up with an RBI single to left to score Garrett McCain. LeJeune scored on a wild pitch to give Sulphur a 3-0 lead after one inning.
Sulphur got some help from the Indians in the fourth inning as they scored four runs on no hits, five walks and an error.
East picked up his second RBI of the game in the fifth inning on a triple off the left field wall. Stefan Trosclair added a sacrifice fly to make it 9-0.
With two outs in bottom of the sixth inning, Trosclair drew a bases loaded walk to bring home Kendall Daigle to end the game on the 10-run mercy rule.
In all, the PNG pitching staff gave up 12 walks in the game with Austin Stone taking the loss.
Pennick was backed up by a solid defense in the game, as the Tors committed no errors. Left fielder Phillip Boyette made a catch over his shoulder on a deep hit by Amir Jalali in the top of the sixth inning to end the game and preserve the shutout.
East went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored for Sulphur.
PNG 6, Tors 1
SULPHUR-The Tors could not repeat the success of their first game against PNG on Saturday as the Indians picked up a 6-1 win.
The first three innings was a pitching duel with Sulphur Cade Andrus allowing just two hits and PNG's Blake Reyenga didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning.
PNG broke up the scoreless game with two runs in the top of the fourth inning.
Chris Sweetenham led off with a walk and Kane Beniot reached base on a Tor error. Cade Andrus got Zach Rhame to ground out on a bunt but Hunter Denzlinger roped a ball down the third base line to score Sweetenham and Beniot. Denslinger tried to stretch his single into a double by Phillip Boyette was able to throw him out at second.
Despite leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Tors were still down just two runs heading into the seventh.
But the Indians picked up four runs on three hits with Reyenga, Sweetenham and Rhame each driving in a run.
Sulphur avoided the shutout when Shepherd hit a single to left to score Kendall Daigle who had reached base on a two-out triple.
Andrus (1-1) took the loss for Sulphur while giving up two runs on four hits in six innings of work.
Iowa 10, Tors 5
SULPHUR-Sulphur rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game at 5-5 but the Iowa Yellow Jackets scored five runs in the top of the seventh for a 10-5 win over the Tors to close out the Sulphur Golden Tornado Baseball kickoff tournament.
The Tors out hit Iowa 10-4 but left 13 runners stranded and committed four errors.
Sulphur was in control early in the game as Garrett McCain held the Yellow Jackets hitless through first two innings and the Tors took a 2-0 lead on RBI singles by Josh East and McCain.
But with two outs in the top of the third, Iowa was able to load the bases on the first of four Sulphur errors in the game and two walks by McCain.
Shane Deshotel followed with a base clearing single to shallow right field to give Iowa a 3-2 lead.
An error and a wild pitch in the top of the fourth gave Iowa a 5-2 lead but the Tors rallied in the sixth inning.
With two-outs, two Tors got their first varsity hits with freshman Ethan Hyatt hitting a double to left and sophomore Stephen Billeaudeau hitting a two RBI single to center field to score Hyatt and Josh East. A single to left by Chad Miller tied the game heading into the final inning.
But the Yellow Jackets scored five unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning on with the help of two Sulphur errors.
The Tors’ pitchers had held the Yellow Jackets to just one hit through six innings, but Iowa had three hits in the seventh.
McCain got a no decision in the game despite holding Iowa to just one hit and two runs in three innings of work. Billeaudeau took the loss as the third Tor to take the mound. He pitched one and third innings while giving up four runs on two hits with two walks.
East lead the Tors at the plate going 2-for-3 with an RBI and Kendall Daigle went 2-for-2.
Madison Lachney came into relieve Phillip LeBleu with two outs in the bottom of the sixth with the score tied 5-5 and picked up his second win over the Tors in as many games. He allowed no runs on no hits while striking out one and walking one in one and one-third innings of work.
