It was a little shaky for Magnolia at first.
But once the Bulldogs got the hang of the freezing-cold temperatures at the 25th David Anzaldua Tournament, they went on a roll.
The first two innings of the tournament? Not so great. Eight runs allowed (five earned) on nine walks and three hits. The next 18 innings? Impressive. Zero runs allowed.
Magnolia couldn’t shake off the bad start Thursday for an 8-0 loss to Beaumont Kelly Catholic.
From there, it was a parade of shutouts.
The Bulldogs turned around later in the day to beat co-host Deer Park 3-0.
On Friday, Magnolia smashed Clear Brook 9-0 and then shut down co-host La Porte 7-0 to finish 3-1.
Magnolia head coach Chris Morris picked up his 300th career win with the Clear Brook victory.
Magnolia was held to one hit – a Jacob Hunter double – against Kelly Catholic.
Against Deer Park, Magnolia scattered five hits as Ian Pugh went 2-for-3, Chase Lowery doubled and J Bubke had an RBI.
Jackson Wilcox struck out six and walked one in four shutout innings while Jacob Neely went 2⅔ innings five strikeouts and one hit allowed for the save.
Impact pitching continued on Friday as Braylon Hobbie shut down Clear Brook over four innings with one hit allowed. He struck out two and walked three.
Magnolia totaled nine hits – all singles – as Pugh once again led with two hits. William Bates and Clyde Williams each had two RBIs apiece. Jordan Enyart, Karson Dupre, Keegan Chavez and Hunter each had one RBI.
Dupre tossed three shutout innings against La Porte with three strikeouts, a walk and one hit allowed. Hunter picked up a clean final inning with one strikeout.
Zach Love and Eli Holseth each had two RBIs against the Bulldogs. Lowery doubled and had an RBI for a 2-for-3 game. Enyart tripled and scored two runs. Dupre also drove in a run.
The Bulldogs weren’t strangers to shutouts last year. In fact, they shut three opponents out in the first five games. By the end of the season, Magnolia blanked opponents in 12 games.
Magnolia will look forward to Tuesday with the arrival of warmer weather and its first District 15-6A opponent. Klein Oak will make the trip for a 7 p.m. home game for the Bulldogs.
Magnolia baseball is seen at their media day in February 2025. (Chris Zorzi/SportCast Media)
