The District 22-5A executive committee Tuesday ruled that Beaumont Central must overturn an 11-5 baseball victory over Port Arthur Memorial on March 28 for violating the UIL pitch count.

Memorial coach Jessie Riojas said the committee voted 5-1 for the forfeit. That means Memorial, which is now 8-13 overall and 3-7 in 22-5A, has completed a season sweep of the Jaguars because the Titans won 18-5 in Beaumont on March 31.

The Titans are still two or three games out of fourth place with four games remaining, Riojas said. The top four teams in each district qualify for the UIL playoffs.

“It wasn’t so much about getting a win because at the end of the day, they outplayed us,” Riojas said. “They beat us. But a rule is a rule. It was broken.”

The UIL pitch county policy states that a pitcher may not throw more than 110 pitches in a game. According to documentation from the overturned game, Central’s starting pitcher threw 124.

The policy, which also states the number of days for mandatory rest between games depending on the pitch count, was approved by the UIL in October as a way to protect the health of pitchers’ arms. Anyone who throws 86-110 pitches much rest at least four days before pitching again.

An email to Central coach Horace Gordon seeking comment was not returned. Central’s record is unavailable.

“From my point of view, I’m hoping it doesn’t happen later in the future for one of these playoff teams,” Riojas said. “Again, it’s for the kid’s safety. As a head coach running your own program, it’s your job keeping pitch count and looking out for safety of the kid.”

Riojas said he figured the Titans would receive the forfeit win once he protested the original defeat.

“If there was a playoff spot, I might be doing cartwheels,” he said.

I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews