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The Columbus Cardinals’ varsity baseball team saw all of their momentum from a big win at the start of last week dissipate by the end as they struggled through a difficult stretch of games in the Yoakum varsity tournament. Despite getting a big win to open the week, they could not recreate their success in any of their four games in the tournament as they finished without a single win.
Vs Brazos, W, 12-2
The Cards started their week with what was by far their best offensive performance of the season. They scored in every inning but the first, and they scored multiple runs in every inning but the first two. Columbus coupled their offensive production with a big effort on the defensive end as well. Columbus allowed just two runs in the fourth as they completed their blowout.
Vs Calhoun, L, 3-2
The Cards opened their run through the Yoakum tournament with a heartbreaking defeat to the Sandcrabs. Columbus came out hot, continuing their potent offense from earlier in the week with a two-run first inning. Calhoun erased the lead by the end of the third inning as the teams played through an evenly-matched battle for the next few innings. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the final inning because of the tournament format, the Cards allowed Calhoun to score a walk-off run that sent Columbus to their defeat.
Vs Banquete, L, 12-2
The Cards’ dangerous offensive attack to start the week was nowhere to be found in a difficult loss to Banquete directly after the loss to Calhoun. The Cards did not score until their two-run fifth inning to cut into the lead. Unfortunately for Columbus, the damage had already been done as the Bulldogs scored 2 or more runs in every inning but the first, and they scored four runs each in the second and fifth innings to put the game out of reach.
Vs La Vernia, L, 6-1
The Bears jumped out to an early lead over the Cards, scoring in four straight innings to add to the lead. Columbus got one run back at the top of the fifth inning, but it would stand as their only run of the game as they fell to another big loss on the second day of the tourney.
Vs Victoria West, 11-6
Columbus nearly picked up their first win of the tournament in its final game. After four-and-a-half innings, the Cards were in charge of a 6-5 lead over their final opponents of the tourney. Columbus needed just one more inning of strong defense to hold on for the victory. What followed was the biggest scoring inning by an opponent of the tournament as Victoria scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead and force the officials to call the game early due to tournament rules.
