BUNA, Texas — For nearly an hour it looked like Mother Nature would be the only winner at the Little League 12U Section 2 Baseball Tournament in Buna, but after enduring a 47 minute rain delay Port Neches delivered the thunder and lightning with an 11-1 win over Oak Ridge Woodlands Area Little League.
Kayce Cropper got things started for the purple and white in the first inning when he doubled to score leadoff man Jude Gohlke.
Parker Allen Ross would add to that lead with an RBI single to left that brought in Cropper.
With two outs in the opening frame Port Neches tacked on another run thanks to an error. From there they would never look back.
Parker Allen Ross blew things wide open in the second when his base clearing double to center drove in three more runs to make it 6-0.
Things would go downhill quickly after that for ORWALL with Port Neches plating two mores runs to build an 8-0 lead after just two innings of play.
The game would be called after four innings due to the ten-run rule when Cropper handled a ground ball to send Port Neches to the Texas East State Tournament.
This marks this fourth time a 12-year-old team from Port Neches has reached a State Tournament.
The Texas East Tournament will get started July 17 in Tyler when Port Neches will be paired up with the Section 4 champions at 5:00 pm.
Section 3 will play Section 1 at 8:00 pm.
TEXAS EAST 12U STATE TOURNAMENT
Section 1: (Brenham) Washington County
Section 2: Port Neches
Section 3: Pearland or (Houston) Post Oak
Section 4: Needville or Victoria Southwest or Shiner or El Campo
PORT NECHES 12U STATE TOURNAMENT HISTORY
2018 - TEXAS EAST STATE TOURNAMENT
(Houston) Post Oak 11 Port Neches 1 (4 inn)
Port Neches 5 (Austin) Northwest 4
Port Neches 9 (Richmond) Lamar American 8 (7 inn)
(Houston) Post Oak 2 Port Neches 0 (Championship)
2015 - TEXAS EAST STATE TOURNAMENT
(Richmond) Lamar American 6 Port Neches 3
Lufkin 12 Port Neches 10
1969 - TEXAS STATE TOURNAMENT
Port Neches 2 Corpus Christi Padre 0
Port Neches 6 Pecos 3 (Championship)
PORT NECHES REGIONAL TOURNAMENT HISTORY
1969 - SOUTH REGION TOURNAMENT
Charleston, West Virginia 1 Port Neches 0
Port Neches 1 Nashville, Tennessee 0 (Consolation)
