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Jacks Drop Series against Marshals

July 8, 2013 - Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


The Jacks fell into a hole early and clawed back into the game, but they weren't able to overcome the early deficit and fell to the Marshals Sunday night, 9-5.

The East Texas Pump Jacks once again jumped out of the gates, but a strong reply by the Texas Marshals put the Jacks into a hole they couldn't dig out of, as East Texas fell to the Marshals Sunday night by a score of 9-5.

Bret Bitow opened the game with a first-pitch double down the right field line. Brooks Marlow singled home Bitow to give the Jacks a 1-0 lead.

The Marshals responded with two runs in the second to take the lead for the remainder of the game. Back-to-back singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out. A walk by Jacks starter Riley Toler loaded the bases, and a sacrifice fly scored the tying run. Cody Semler later singled with two outs and the bases loaded to bring home the go-ahead run. Toler limited the damage with a big strikeout to strand the bases loaded.

The Marshals added two more in the third when Ryan Lombardi scorched a double just inside the first base line to drive home runners from second and third and extend the Texas lead to 4-1.

The game got away from the Jacks in the fourth, though. A walk, run-scoring double, and a hit batter spelled the end of the night for Toler. J.J. Franklin came on and worked his way out of the inning, but not before two singles and a double helped put the Marshals up by a 9-1 score.

The Pump Jacks battled back in the fifth, chalking up three runs. Devon Conley started off with a leadoff single to right. Bitow followed with a double to put runners on second and third. Conley came home on a wild pitch, and Bitow was plated on a groundout by Brooks Marlow. Garrett McMullen kept the inning going, blasting an opposite field double, his league-leading eleventh of the season, and then advanced to third on an error by the Marshals left fielder. He crossed home for the final run of the inning on Ty Marlow's grounder, closing the gap to 9-4.

East Texas added another run in the seventh without the benefit of a hit. McMullen led off with a walk and advanced to third on back-to-back groundouts. Nate Esposito work a walk to keep the inning alive. Both runners were granted a base thanks to a balk, bringing McMullen home for the Jacks' fifth run of the game. Two more walks loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate, but the Pump Jacks couldn't put any more runs on the board.

The Pump Jacks did their best to set the table in the later innings, but stranding runners became a theme. In addition to loading the bases in the seventh, East Texas left two runners on in the sixth and the eighth innings. The next hit, the one that could have cut the deficit even further, escaped them as the game wore on.

Toler was tagged with the loss after pitching 3.1 innings and allowing seven runs on seven hits with one strikeout. Franklin went 3.1 innings as well, surrendering two runs on three hits while fanning four batters. Ben Mordini entered the game in the seventh but left quickly after allowing a hit and a walk. Kenny Oakley closed out the game for the Jacks, pitching 1.1 innings with one strikeout.

After a Monday off, all eyes will be East Texas for the 2013 TCL All-Star Game on Tuesday, featuring eighth Pump Jacks all-stars. Future major leaguers will descend on historic Driller Park for the first TCL All-Star Game hosted by the Pump Jacks. Pregame festivities include a home run derby, which will include representatives from each of the six teams, as well as an all-star autograph session.

Fans will also have a chance to get autographed all-star memorabilia in the All-Star Silent Auction. Among the items up for auction will be bats signed by the East and West all-stars, and the winning bat from the Home Run Derby, signed by the champion himself. Signed all-star baseballs will also be up for grabs, including baseballs from each organization featuring the signatures of their all-stars. Proceeds from the silent auction, which will run from the end of the home run derby to the eighth inning, will go to the Haddock Foundation, which fosters national and international sports competition.

Tickets for the TCL All-Star Game can be purchased online at pumpjacksbaseball.com, in person at the Pump Jacks office at 106 North Kilgore Street, #201, in downtown Kilgore, or at the ticket office at Driller Park the night of the game.

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Texas Collegiate League Stories from July 8, 2013


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