Yoemen finish Classic with 3-2 record

The Cameron Yoemen baseball team hosted the Cameron Classic Tournament over the weekend. They finished the weekend with a 3-2 record.  

Cameron played one game on Thursday against the Smithville Tigers, and Cameron would be victorious 6-4. The first inning went scoreless, then Cameron scored first in the second inning as they jumped out to a six-run lead. The Yoemen offense got fired up in the second inning. Mason Kuzel singled on a line drive to left field, scoring the first two runs. Cameron added on with a single by Tyler Martin, a triple by Ryan Host, and Host came around to score on a passed ball that got by the catcher.

Smithville put up four runs in the failed comeback attempt. They scored two runs in the third inning, one in the fifth, and one in the seventh, but it would not be enough for the Tigers. Cameron saw the ball well, racking up eight hits in the game. Ryan Host and Landen Greene both had multiple hits for the Yoemen. They each managed two hits to lead the team. 

“The kids were just putting the ball in play,” Coach Nick De La Cerda said. “We preach have a good two strike approach, put the ball in play, and make the defense make plays. If they make plays, they make plays, but if not, that’s a benefit for us.” 

Yovanni Cerros earned the win for the Yoemen. The lefthander allowed 11 hits and four runs over seven innings, striking out five, and allowing only two walks.

“He pitched really well. He was able to keep free base runners (off),” De La Cerda said. “I think he only had one or two walks. Other than that, he pitched to contact and just trusted his defense and was able to change speeds. That’s what we try to preach to all our pitchers.” 

The Yoemen played two games on Friday, the first game was the Giddings Buffaloes. Cameron would win 12-4. In the first inning, the Yoemen got their offense started when Landen Greene earned an RBI on a groundout, scoring one run. Camerons bats got going and tallied four runs in the second inning. Logan Akin, Braylan Drake, and Ryan Host each had RBIs in the big inning.

Braylan Drake pitched the Yoemen to victory. The righty allowed five hits and four runs over four innings, striking out two. Kason Goolsby threw one shutout inning in relief out of the bullpen. Cameron tallied 14 hits in the game. Ryan Host, Mason Kuzel, Braylan Drake, Armando Reyes, Marino Cardona, and Dillan Akin each racked up multiple hits for the Yoemen. Mason Kuzel and Ryan Host each collected three hits to lead the team. 

The second game was against the West Trojans, and Cameron was defeated 2-1. Landen Greene took the mound for Cameron. He pitched all seven innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out four and walking one. The Yoemen played two more games on Saturday. The first game was against the Bridge City Cardinals, and Cameron would fall to the Cardinals 12-1. 

Their final game was the Elgin Wildcats JV team. The Yoemen dominated, winning 10-1. Cameron put up six runs in the fourth inning on their way to victory over Elgin. Multiple batters contributed to the big inning including Ryan Host, Marino Cardona, Armando Reyes, and Karsen Galvan, who each had RBIs in the inning.

Kaden Kuzel earned the victory on the mound for Cameron. Kuzel allowed one hit and one run over four innings, striking out three. Kason Goolsby threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen. Cameron totaled ten hits, with Ryan Host and Marino Cardona both managing multiple hits for the Yoemen. 

Up next, the Yoemen will be participating in a tournament hosted by Franklin. They will play Lampasas and Centerville on Thursday and Caldwell and New Waverly on Saturday.