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Bolanos RBI Single Wins Marathon in 15th Inning

June 5, 2014 - Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


Five hours, 25 minutes. 15 innings. 118 at-bats. Those were some of the figures from Wednesday night's game between the East Texas Pump Jacks and Woodlands Strykers at Historic Driller Park.

In the end, the only numbers that mattered were 7-6. Oh yes, and one shaving cream pie.

A Danny Bolanos single to right-center with two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the 15th inning propelled the Pump Jacks to victory, kicking off a wild celebration in front of the handful of fans with the stamina to stick around the entire game.

After rounding first, Bolanos was mobbed by his East Texas teammates, who tore away his jersey and later gave him a congratulatory shaving cream pie to the face.

The game-winning hit came at 12:30 a.m., making the contest more than twice as long as the typical TCL game.

The length of the game was hardly the only noteworthy statistic. Leadoff hitter Matthew Dickey reached base six times- three by hit, three by walk- and stole five bases on the night. By comparison, the Strykers have stolen just three bases combined all season.

Newcomer Bobby Webb, playing just his second game for the Pump Jacks, had two hits and three walks, and Joe Moroney collected three hits and walk.

The contest began as a back-and-forth affair that made it clear it would be a long night. The Strykers sandwiched two singles around a walk in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead before the Jacks ever batted. The damage could have been greater, but Moroney's throw to catcher Rey Echenique gunned down a second runner trying to score.

East Texas answered with a pair of runs in the home half of the first. A trio of walks put Dickey, Chris Osborne, and Andrew Grifol on base, then a passed ball and a wild pitch allowed two runs to score for a 2-1 Pump Jacks lead.

Dickey walked again in the second inning, stole second and scored on another passed ball in the second inning to extend the home team's advantage to 3-1.

The Woodlands inched closer with a run in the top of the third, but the Pump Jacks answered again in the bottom of the inning. Moroney picked up a two-out single, followed by a base hit by Dickey. After Dickey stole second to put runners at second and third, another passed ball allowed Moroney to score, then an RBI single by Osborne plated Dickey for a 5-2 Pump Jacks lead.

The Strykers crept closer with a run in the top of the fourth, then chased East Texas starter Ray Messner in the fifth. The Woodlands scored three times in the frame, taking a 6-5 lead and leaving an anxious Pump Jacks crowd quiet.

The Jacks evened the score an inning later, when Grifol led off the sixth with a double. A passed ball allowed Grifol to take third, then Webb walked to put runners on the corners. New pitcher Braxton Markle coaxed a double play grounder out of Connor Hornsby, but Grifol was able to score the tying run.

And then the marathon began. The Strykers and Pump Jacks bullpens traded zeroes for the next eight innings, at times teasing fans with scoring opportunities then never came to fruition. The Jacks left the bases loaded in the eighth and 13th innings, and The Woodlands left seven runners on after the game was tied.

But the bullpens shined. Kyle Garvin earned the win by posting six shutout innings in relief, scattering three hits while walking two with three strikeouts. John Jaeger, who took over for Messner in the fifth, allowed just one run in 4.2 innings in which he struck out four.

On the other side, 2013 all-star reliever Gandy Stubblefield worked in and out of jams for 6.1 innings of relief, striking out 13.

But when Stubblefield could go no longer, it was Cullen Cosco who took the hill for the Strykers in the 15th. He walked Moroney and Dickey, and Moroney took third on a wild pitch. Dickey stole second, but Cosco struck out both Osborne and Anthony Gonsolin to nearly escape the jam.

That's when Bolanos stepped to the plate. Bolanos, who came on for Grifol in the 11th, had struck out with the bases loaded and two outs in the 13th inning. This time, he wouldn't go down quietly, driving a 2-1 pitch to right field to kick off the celebration.

After such a long night, the Pump Jacks are in for more of the same Thursday. The Jacks head to Acadiana in the morning to play a doubleheader Thursday night to make up for their rainout last Sunday. The first of two seven-inning games will begin at 6 p.m. The two teams play a standard nine-inning affair on Friday at 7 p.m.

The Jacks return to East Texas for a weekend series against the defending champion Brazos Valley Bombers. Saturday is Pump Jacks Koozie Giveaway Night presented by KLTV, when the first 500 fans will receive a free Jacks koozie! Sunday is Longview News-Journal Family Night, when a family of four can get tickets for just $10.



Texas Collegiate League Stories from June 5, 2014


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