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Pump Jacks Jump All over Generals

June 12, 2012 - Texas Collegiate League (TCL) East Texas PumpJacks

The skies were cloudy over Driller Park at first pitch time, with the sun making only a brief appearance in the middle innings on Tuesday night.

But the Pump Jacks' pitching staff provided all the light fans needed throughout the night, shining brightly yet again in another East Texas win, this time 4-2 over the Victoria Generals. The Jacks ran their record to 7-1 with the victory, and a perfect 4-0 at home in 2012.

Early in this game, it was all Pump Jacks and then some. After Kirby Pellant reached on a throwing error by the second baseman for Victoria, Alex Klonowski, he stole second base, then moved to third as the ball sailed into center field for another error, this one by the catcher Blue Hybner. Kevin O'Leary then hit a ground ball to the shortstop, scoring Pellant for a 1-0 Pump Jacks lead. But East Texas wasn't done yet.

After a flyout for the second out of the inning, the Pump Jacks got the next six batters on base successfully against Generals starter Tyler Schnuriger. Whitt Dorsey remained hot as he scorched a double down the right field line. After a passed ball advanced him to third, Tyler Girouard picked up his third RBI in his last two games when he smacked another double into the gap in left-center field. With the score 2-0, Eric Escobedo drove Girouard in with a single for his second RBI of the season, and a 3-0 Pump Jacks lead.

The rally continued, with Charlie Wagner singling to right and Louie Helmburg getting hit with a pitch to load the bases. Tyler Sullivan then walked on four pitches to force in Escobedo with the fourth Pump Jack run. Just like that, East Texas had a lead they would not surrender the rest of the game.

The Generals got two runs back in the top of the second, with two singles and a throwing error to lead off the inning scoring the first Victoria run, followed by an RBI groundout to cut the deficit to 4-2 off East Texas starter Ty Schlottmann.

But the shutdown bullpen stepped up yet again for the Jacks. After Schlottmann gave up a walk and hit a batter in the fifth inning, Cory Bernard (1-0) came in and snuffed out the rally. After a nine-pitch at-bat with last season's Texas Collegiate League hits leader Chad Kruse, Bernard sent him down looking with a knee-buckling breaking pitch. He then struck out Rudy Flores swinging on a good fastball to end the frame and preserve the lead.

Bernard allowed a two-out double in the sixth, but retired the final batter on a flyout to short right-center field that Sullivan made a nice sliding grab on to again make the 4-2 lead stand up.

That would be the last time the Generals had men on base, as Jeff Stovall, Gerardo Esquivel, and Jason Jester retired the final nine batters of the game for the visitors on just 21 total pitches. Jester struck out one in the ninth to earn his TCL-leading third save of the season for the Pump Jacks.

Dorsey and Girouard both went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while Helmburg was hit by a pitch in each plate appearance he had on the night (three in total). Bernard got the win for East Texas, while Schnuriger took the loss for Victoria.

The Pump Jacks head on the road for three straight games- Wednesday night against the same Victoria Generals, followed by a pair of games against the Acadiana Cane Cutters on Thursday and Friday. East Texas' next home game is on Saturday, when they host the Cane Cutters at Driller Park.

First pitch of each game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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Texas Collegiate League Stories from June 12, 2012


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