Yoemen perfect in Franklin; jump 4 spots in rankings

After jumping into the state’s top 25 rankings two weeks ago, the Yoemen proved their staying power by going a perfect 3-0-1 in the Franklin tournament this past weekend.  The Yoemen navigated their way through a field of 30 teams all the way to the championship game against number one Lago Vista.  Cameron led that contest 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth before heavy showers forced the game to be called.

Cameron picked up wins over Fairfield, College Station JV and Brazos Christian and advanced on a tiebreaker against Navasota to the championship game.  On Monday, the Yoemen were rewarded by an advancement in the rankings, moving from number 24 up to number 20.  Other local teams ranked in TxHighSchoolBaseball.com’s 3A rankings include Lago Vista (1), West (6), Troy (8), Groesbeck (14), Georgetown Gateway Prep (19), Clifton (21) and Rogers (22). 

Below is a recap from each of the games in Franklin.

Fairfield (W, 7-1)

In the opening game of the tournament, Cameron out-pitched and out-hit the Eagles in a 7-1 opening win.  Zack Andress was the only pitcher Yoe pitcher used, as the junior tossed all 7 innings, scattering 5 hits, giving up just 1 run while striking out 5 Eagle batters.  He was given plenty of run support early on with lone runs in the second and third, followed by three in the fourth and two in the sixth inning.  Brandon Wilkins had the highlight hit of the game with an inside the park homerun to right in the 3-run fifth. 

College Station JV (W, 4-1)

In game two, Cameron’s Bryce Brashear put together the Yoemen’s second dominant performance from the mound in a 4-1 win.  Brashear threw the second complete game of the day, giving up one run on five hits while striking out seven.  The theme of home runs continued, but this time it was the more conventional style as clean-up hitter Caden Harris hit a towering fly ball over the left field fence for two runs.  “I got what I believe was a changeup,” said Harris.  “I got it low and I was looking to drive it.  He threw it inside in the my wheelhouse and I just went with it.”  The home run created all the distance needed to move Cameron to 2-0 in pool play. 

Navasota (T, 2-2)

In general, leaving runners on base is not a stat you look at as a positive.  However, during Saturday morning’s third round game with Navasota, it was of the utmost importance.  With the game tied through seven innings and time expired, the tiebreaker of runners at third base had to be used.  The Yoemen’s 3-2 advantage in that category clinched a semifinal berth.  A single by Jordan Young followed by a double by Jason Llanas drove in both runs for Cameron.  Navasota scored runs in the third and fourth before each team came up empty the final three innings.  Alex Alonso had a quality outing on the mound, with 2 runs given up and 3 strikeouts in 7 innings of work. 

Brazos Christian (W, 7-5)

In the semifinal against Brazos Christian, the Yoe bats woke back up to the tune of 12 hits and held off a late comeback in a 7-5 victory.   The Yoemen fell behind 2-0 after one but struck back with three singles in the second frame to take a 3-2 lead.  In the third, Harris hit his second home run of the tournament with another shot over the left field fence, scoring both Young and Alonso.  Yoe pitcher Anthony Layne gave up 4 earned runs in his 7 innings, but struck out 10.  Harris also had a triple and finished with 4 RBI.  Young (2-3) and Ty Moore (3-3) both had multi-hit games. 

Lago Vista (4-3)

In the championship, Cameron fell behind 3-0 in the third but answered with a four-spot in the fourth before the rain set in.  After Andress reached via an error by the shortstop, Alonso and Young walked to setup the bases loaded for a red-hot Harris.  On a 3-1 count, the St. Edward’s commit hit a game-tying triple to right-center.  Brashear followed that up with a single up the middle to score Harris before the game was called off.  Both Harris and Brashear earned all tournament honors for their performances.