Pump Jacks Fall to Generals in Game 1 of TCL Championship Series

Published on August 13, 2012 under Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


Emotions ran high all across the board at Riverside Stadium in Victoria for Game 1 of the TCL Championship Series between the East Texas Pump Jacks and the Victoria Generals. With so much on the line, that was expected.

Unfortunately for the Pump Jacks, the Generals were able to get to the bullpen and do damage, plating four runs combined in the sixth and seventh innings to defeat the Pump Jacks 5-3 and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three championship series.

The Pump Jacks got on the board immediately. John Williams continued his hot hitting with a leadoff double, and was sacrificed to third by Trevin Sonnier. Williams was then driven in on a sacrifice fly by Whitt Dorsey, whose team-leading 19th RBI of the season gave East Texas a 1-0 lead in the first.

The Generals went to work in the first two innings against Cameron Gann, and ended up tying the game in the second inning on a bases-loaded walk by Alex Klonowski. But Gann minimized the damage- he stranded the bases loaded in both of the first two innings, holding the high-powered Victoria offense at bay. Gann would only allow one baserunner in working scoreless innings in the third and fourth as well.

In the fifth, Gann allowed a leadoff walk to Patrick Duncan, but he struck out the numbers four and five hitters- Eric Weiss and Trace Knoblauch- before inducing a flyout to center field to escape the frame with the score still knotted.

Meanwhile, the Pump Jacks had trouble solving Victoria starter Jordan Pacheco. The right-hander did not surrender a single hit in the next five innings after Williams' double in the first. The Pump Jacks did get one baserunner in innings two through five thanks to two errors and two walks, but were unable to bring those runners home, as the score remained tied at 1-1.

Gann exited after five innings, and the Generals took advantage against Jeff Stovall when a one-out double came around to score on a wild pitch and an RBI single by Chad Kruse, giving Victoria the 2-1 lead. Stovall was able to escape the frame without further damage, however, when he got a lineout to left field from Klonowski.

The Pump Jacks then missed an opportunity in the seventh inning. Logan Preston led off with a single, and Kevin O'Leary reached base on a bunt single. Both runners moved to second and third, respectively, on a sacrifice bunt by Louie Helmburg. But Pacheco got the next two, including a strikeout to end the frame.

In the seventh, with one out, a highly questionable hit-by-pitch call allowed Weiss to reach before a walk and another hit-by-pitch was sandwiched around the second out of the frame to load the bases.

Stovall was relieved by Gerardo Esquivel, but yet another hit batter forced in a run and gave the Generals a 3-1 lead. What followed was a balk to make the score 4-1, a walk, and then a single by Kruse to make the score 5-1.

The Pump Jacks fought back in the eighth. Against reliever Covey Morrow, Dorsey stroked a one-out single, and was followed by a single from R.J. Santigate. After the runners moved up on a groundout, Preston hit a huge single to center field to plate both runners and pull the Jacks within 5-3.

Unfortunately, the Jacks were unable to complete the comeback, as they brought the tying run to the plate against Tanner Green in the ninth, but were held off the scoreboard.

Preston finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Gann gave up only one run and three hits in five innings, but it was not enough to hold the Generals down in their home ballpark

The Pump Jacks will now head back home to historic Driller Park to play Game 2, with the first pitch time scheduled for 7:05 p.m. For tickets to Game Two and/or Game Three, fans can visit www.pumpjacksbaseball.com, or they can call the Pump Jacks office during business hours at (903) 218- GO ET (4638). Fans may also visit the team's office at 114 North Kilgore Street in downtown Kilgore to purchase tickets in-person.

Fans unable to make it to Driller for Game 2 can watch the contest, as well as the rest of the series, on the Pump Jacks' internet broadcast, Pump Jacks TV, which can be found by clicking the link on the left side of the Pump Jacks homepage, www.pumpjacksbaseball.com, or by searching "Pump Jacks Baseball" on the Ustream home page.

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Texas Collegiate League Stories from August 13, 2012


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