Sports stats



Jacks Beat Cane Cutters 7-4 to Earn Series Sweep

July 16, 2015 - Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


The Pump jacks pounded out 12 hits on their way to a 7-4 victory on Wednesday in Acadiana, pushing their record to 7-3 in the second half.

After Tuesday's night's 13-inning filibuster, the Pump Jacks made sure to secure the win Wednesday evening in regulation.

The East Texas Pump Jacks beat the Acadiana Cane Cutters 7-4 Wednesday on the strength of a balanced attack that took the lead for good with a four-run rally in the seventh inning.

After trading runs with the Cutters in the middle innings, East Texas came to the plate in the seventh inning down 3-2. Jake Nash led off with a walk, Tristan Clarke was hit by a pitch with one out, and T.J. Friedl singled to load the bases.

A wild pitch allowed Nash to scamper home with the tying run, but Clarke was later run down when he strayed off second base. Friedl moved into scoring position by stealing second and third base, and Brandon Grudzielanek worked a walk to put runners at the corners.

Alex Bell followed with a flare down the left field line that fell safely into no-man's land, easily scoring Friedl to put the Jacks ahead. When the ball kicked around, Grudzielanek was able to race around the bases to give East Texas a 5-3 lead, and Bell ended up on third base.

With Dilon Argo at the plate, another wild pitch scored Bell to make the score 6-3. Argo worked a two-out walk and Dylan Mecham singled, but the Pump Jacks weren't able to extend the lead any further and took the field ahead 6-3.

The seventh East Texas run had to wait just one inning, when Friedl collected his second RBI of the night on a fielder's choice in the eighth. Tyler Moore punched a one-out double and moved to third on a single by Clarke, and Friedl pushed him across on a ground ball to the shortstop to make the score 7-3.

Newcomer Tristen Pendley impressed in his first start on the mound for East Texas. He held the Cane Cutters to three runs through seven frames to earn his first win as a Pump Jack.

Early-game jitters may have been a factor in Acadiana taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning. A leadoff walk, two singles, and a Pump Jacks error put the Cutters on the board. The damage could have been worse, though, if not for a nice throw by Friedl on a play at the plate. James Ziegler singled to right with one out and Friedl came up firing, hitting Moore with a strike to nail Daniel Keating trying to score.

Pendley found a groove thereafter, retiring nine of the next ten batters he faced. The only hitter to reach base during the streak was Keating, who singled in the third but was quickly caught stealing. In fact, Keating, who entered the game leading the TCL with 21 steals and had been caught just once, was thrown out twice by the tandem of Pendley and Moore.

Meanwhile, the Pump Jacks stole the lead with runs in the fourth and fifth innings to grab a 2-1 advantage.

Bell pinch-hit with one out in the fourth and picked up a single. Argo wasted no time tying the game, mashing an RBI triple that scored Bell from first base.

One inning later, Nash led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice by Moore. Clarke reached when his grounder to second took a tricky hop, putting runners on the corners for Friedl. Friedl connected with the first pitch he saw from Acadiana reliever Troy Whitty, bringing home Nash with an RBI single.

The Cutters showed their fight in the bottom half of the frame. A leadoff double, a balk, and a groundout was all Acadiana needed to tie the game at 2-2.

Acadiana took the lead back in the sixth with a leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt, and another base hit for the 3-2 lead.

That set the stage for the Pump Jacks' four-run rally in the seventh inning, when they sent nine batters to the plate.

Jimmy Johnson relieved Pendley in the eighth and gave up an RBI double to the third batter he faced, but he worked out of the jam with the Jacks still up 7-4. A leadoff single was all the Cutters could muster in the ninth inning, and Johnson retired three in a row to end the ballgame.

Pendley allowed just two earned runs through his seven innings of work, striking out three. Johnson allowed the lone run on three hits with a strikeout in two innings.

Friedl played a big role from the leadoff spot, collecting a pair of hits, two RBI, and two stolen bases. Argo also had a two-hit game with an RBI, and the Jacks received multi-hit games from Moore and Bell.

The Pump Jacks return home to Irwin UT Tyler Ballpark for a two-game set with the Victoria Generals on Thursday and Friday.

Thursday will be the Pump Jacks' second Thirsty Thursday of the season, presented by the original lite beer, Miller Lite. Fans can beat the heat with discounted beer and soft drinks, and all adults will receive a Pump Jacks koozie presented by Miller Lite. Miller Lite will also be on hand to pass out other great prizes, so keep cool with the Jacks on Thursday!

Friday will be Big Screen TV Giveaway Night presented by Don's TV & Appliance. Don's and Jacks will be giving away a 55" HD Smart TV from LG, so come out to the ballpark and you may go home with a brand new TV!

Fans can also tune in to our live Ustream broadcast or follow the game with live scoring updates on our Pointstreak feed.

To follow all the news during the Jacks' inaugural season in Tyler, presented by Brookshire's, visit the Pump Jacks official web site at www.pumpjacksbaseball.com. Join the conversation with other members of Pump Jacks Nation by visiting the Pump Jacks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

• Discuss this story on the Texas Collegiate League message board...

Texas Collegiate League Stories from July 16, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central