Pump Jacks Grind out Win over Aces

Published on June 28, 2012 under Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


With temperatures still in the mid-90s by first pitch on Wednesday night in Kilgore, both teams were anxious to get going quickly in the ballgame.

Only one of them did thanks to Mike Hager.

The big right-hander tied the longest outing this season by an East Texas starter, working 7.2 innings and picking up his third win of the season as the Pump Jacks beat the Alexandria Aces 9-5 at home. With the win, the Jacks are now 10-0 at historic Driller Park in 2012.

As is their custom, the Pump Jacks jumped out on top early. Kirby Pellant led off the first inning with a single. After a pop-out, John Williams singled to put runners on first and second. Kash Kalkowski then hit the first pitch he saw towards shortstop, with the ball taking a Pump Jack bounce off the infield dirt over the head of Jami Rachal, scoring Pellant for a 1-0 lead. The at-bat represented a return to East Texas for Kalkowski, who had his 2011 Pump Jacks season cut short by a broken hand.

In the next at-bat, R.J. Santigate hit a double to right-center field to bring Williams for a 2-0 East Texas lead. After a walk by Justin Wall, the suddenly hot-hitting Logan Preston singled up the middle to score Kalkowski and put the Jacks up 3-0.

In the third inning, the Pump Jacks tacked on two more runs. Kalkowski reached base again on a ground ball that went through the legs of Aces third baseman Doug Votolato for an error. He ended up at second base with heads-up baserunning. Santigate followed with a single to put runners at the corners with no one out. After a double-play ground ball scored Kalkowski to make the lead 4-0 East Texas, Preston reached on a grounder that went off Votolato's glove, his second error of the inning.

Blair DeBord then laid into a pitch from Alexandria starter and former Pump Jack Ben Frith, hitting it to the gap for a double. Preston, hustling all the way, scored from first base to give the Jacks a 5-0 lead.

Another run came home in the fourth on an odd play. With Pellant at second base thanks to a leadoff single and a stolen base, Williams hit a slow grounder up the first base line. The Aces' first baseman Garren Palmer took his eye off the ball while going to try and tag Williams in the baseline, dropping the ball and causing him to reach first base. Pellant then broke for home with general confusion on the part of the Aces' infield, sliding in just before the catcher's tag as East Texas took a 6-0 lead.

Hager was cruising on the other side of the ball for the Jacks, giving up only two baserunners through the first four innings. At one point, the freshman from Pacific retired eight straight Aces. Alexandria got a run back in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Votolato, but the Pump Jacks struck back in the bottom of the inning.

With two outs, Tyler Sullivan reached on an error from Rachal at shortstop. A balk moved him up to second base, and Williams hit a ground ball single up the middle, making the score 7-1. Then Kalkowski rocketed a double down the left field line that rolled to the corner, scoring Williams and giving the Pump Jacks their largest lead of the night at 8-1.

Alexandria ended up scoring four runs in the eighth inning off Hager and reliever Bryce Lombardi, who made his Pump Jacks debut just hours after arriving in Kilgore, but by then the script was written.

Pellant, Williams and Kalkowski all finished with two hits and two runs scored on the night for the Pump Jacks, while Santigate and Preston also had two hits apiece for East Texas. The Jacks have now won ten of their last 11 games overall and have opened up a four-game lead over the Brazos Valley Bombers atop the Texas Collegiate League standings.

Hager (3-1) got the win for the Pump Jacks, surrendering four runs while walking just two and striking out a season-high seven batters. Frith (0-4) took the loss for the second time this season against his former team.

The Jacks continue their 2012 home slate on Thursday when they host The Woodlands Strykers at Driller Park. It will be another Thirsty Thursday as well, where fans can enjoy $1 draft beers, 50-cent soft drinks and $3 frozen margaritas all game long. East Texas will then go on the road to face the Texas Marshals on Friday night before an off day on Saturday.

First pitch for all games is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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Texas Collegiate League Stories from June 28, 2012


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