The Airline Vikings and Benton Tigers won games Thursday on the first day of the Airline Jason Bland Memorial Tournament.
The Vikings defeated Texas High 11-7 and the Tigers routed Natchitoches Central 14-4 in six innnings. Both games were played at Airline.
The Haughton Bucs and Parkway Panthers both lost their openers. Haughton fell to Sulphur 6-0 at Haughton and Parkway lost to Ruston 5-4 at Parkway.
The tournament continues today and runs through Saturday, weather permitting.
Cameron Parikh had a home run, single and two RBI as Airline improved to 7-3.
Hunter Hollis went 2-for-3 with a triple. Chase Hodges had two hits and two RBI. Peyton Jordan also had two hits.
Airline led 8-7 after 5 1/2 innings and then scored three in the bottom of the sixth. Ryan Lawhorne drove in two with a double and Hollis had a two-out RBI single.
Starter Jake Mayfield, who went 4 1/3 innings, got the win. Anthony Mulrenin allowed one hit and one run in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Caden Jones pitched the final inning.
Garrett Hable had a big game at the plate in Benton’s win. He had two triples, a double and three RBI.
Conner Smith went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs. Cody Norris went 2-for-3 with a triple and three RBI. Coleman Nerren had two hits.
Hal Gatti had a triple. Peyton Long and Sam Simmons had two RBI each.
Will Hine pitched a complete six-inning game, scattering seven hits. Benton improved to 10-4.
At Haughton, Sulphur’s Andrew Sheridan, an LSUE signee, pitched a four-hitter with 11 strikeouts. Haughton’s Mason Simmons tripled and Jonathan Plant doubled.
Bucs starter Austin Clemmens struck out seven in five innings. Haughton dropped to 4-7.
At Parkway, the Panthers led Ruston 4-2 after six innings, but the Bearcats rallied with three in the top of the seventh.
Eric Williams and Matthew McKee had two hits each for Parkway (6-3). Caleb Reese had a double.
Ruston’s seventh-inning rally was fueled by three singles and two walks.
Here is the tournament’s remaining schedule.
AT AIRLINE
FRIDAY
Benton vs. Texas High, 4 p.m.
Sulphur vs. Airline, 7 p.m
SATURDAY
West Ouachita vs. Benton, 10 a.m.
Ruston vs. Airline, 12:30 p.m.
Texas High vs. Natchitoches Central, 3 p.m.
Neville vs. Airline, 6 p.m.
AT HAUGHTON
FRIDAY
Ruston vs. Haughton, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY
Natchitoches Central vs. Haughton, 11 a.m.
West Ouachita vs. Haughton, 3 p.m.
AT PARKWAY
FRIDAY
Natchitoches Central vs. Parkway, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY
Neville vs. Parkway, noon
Sulphur vs. Parkway, 3 p.m.
AT BYRD
FRIDAY
West Ouachita vs. Byrd, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY
Texas High vs. Byrd, 11 a.m.
Ruston vs. Byrd, 4:30 p.m.
AT CAPTAIN SHREVE
FRIDAY
Neville vs. Captain Shreve, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY
Sulphur vs. Captain Shreve, 11 a.m.
Benton vs. Captain Shreve, 2 p.m.
— Russell Hedges, rhedges@bossierpress.com
