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Jacks Fight Back, Walk off with Thrilling 6-5 Victory

July 31, 2015 - Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


The Pump Jacks opened the season's final homestand with an extra-inning win over the Generals, snapping a two-game skid.

The East Texas Pump Jacks battled through a back-and-forth contest with the Victoria Generals Thursday, tying the game in the eighth inning before snatching a 6-5 win in extra innings.

The Pump Jacks walked off with the victory on a sacrifice fly in the tenth inning after Tristan Clarke opened the frame with a double over the head of the center fielder. Derek Clemons, playing his first game with the Jacks after winning a national title at Tyler Junior College, sacrificed Clarke to third.

Hunter Owens was walked intentionally to get to Trevor Ezell. Trying to work the matchups, Victoria brought in lefty Chris Jones to face the left-handed Ezell, who had grounded into a double play earlier in the ballgame.

With the Irwin UT Tyler Ballpark crowd in a frenzy, Ezell turned on the first pitch he saw and drove it to deep right field. Romeo Cortina tracked it down in right, but he had no chance to throw out Clarke. The Canadian Pump Jack tagged up from third and raced home with the winning run, and a mosh pit ensued in front of the home dugout.

The 10th-inning drama was set up by nine innings of back-and-forth offense.

The aggressive Victoria offense posted a run in the top of the first inning when they tagged Jacks starting pitcher Franklin Miller with a two-out RBI double.

East Texas responded in triplicate, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring three runs in the home half of the frame.

Anthony Donovan led off the inning with a single, and Mason Mallard and Weston Pitts drew back-to-back walks to load the bases.

Dylan Mecham tied the game at one when he drew a third consecutive walk, forcing home Donovan. A double to the left-field corner by Tyler Moore brought in two more and gave the Pump Jacks a 3-1 lead.

Mecham gave the Jacks a 4-1 lead in the fourth with an RBI single. Donovan and Mallard hit consecutive one-out singles, and a wild pitch to Pitts moved runners to second and third. One out later, Mecham's single scored Donovan, but the inning ended when Mecham was thrown out trying to stretch the base hit into a double.

Victoria climbed back into the game with two runs in the fifth inning that that closed the gap to 4-3, but Miller adjusted and held Victoria scoreless in the sixth and seventh to close his outing. He struck out seven against two walks, allowing three runs over seven innings.

Miller gave way to Jimmy Johnson, who got two quick outs to start the eighth inning. The third out, however, proved troublesome. The Generals collected a pair of singles and a walk that loaded the bases, and catcher Keith Funk put Victoria ahead 5-4 with a single that scored two.

Facing a deficit in the late innings, it took Owens' bat to send the game into extra frames. In the bottom of the eighth, Clarke worked a one-out walk. Clemons put an exclamation mark on his East Texas debut with a double down the left-field line. With runners on second and third, Owens dug in and shot a single into center field that scored Clarke and evened the game at 5-5.

Tyler Adams set the Generals down in order in the ninth, and struck out the side in the tenth to set the stage for the walk-off win.

Moore paced the Jacks' offense going 2-for-5 night with a pair of RBI, while Donovan and Mallard each had two hits and a walk.

To view and purchase photos from the game, visit the online gallery from FocusInOn.Me, a service of the Tyler Morning Telegraph and ETFinalScore.com.

Upcoming Games

After a trip to Acadiana to take on the Cane Cutters Tuesday and Wednesday, the Jacks return to East Texas for a two-game set against the Victoria Generals.

East Texas will go for the sweep on Friday's Family Fun Night presented by Brookshire's. Family Fun Night will include a logo mini-bat giveaway and special deals on concessions. Fans can even get autographs and photos with players during a pregame meet and greet! It's a celebration the whole family can enjoy, so come on out and have some fun courtesy of Brookshire's and the Pump Jacks.

Saturday night gives fans a chance to take home a piece of East Texas history as the Jacks open a two-game series with the Brazos Valley Bombers on Photo Giveaway Night presented by Walgreens. The Pump Jacks will be giving away an 8x10 glossy photo, the third in a collector's series celebrating the team's inaugural season in Tyler. The Jacks will also have the first two photos in the series available that night, so fans can collect the entire trio just by coming to the game, all courtesy of Walgreens!

Sunday is Social Media Night, when fans can get free tickets just for connecting with the Jacks on social media! Like or follow the Pump Jacks on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, then send the Jacks an e-mail to get free tickets for Sunday's game! We'll also have promotions during the game on social media to win prizes, so connect with the Jacks and win on Social Media Night!

The Pump Jacks take a day off on Monday before their final home series of the regular season next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tuesday will be Kids Night, brought to you by our friends at Traditions Restaurant & Catering. Kids 12 years old and under get tickets for half price, which means tickets for kids start at just $2.50!

The series and homestand come to a close on Wednesday, but the Pump Jacks and Raising Cane's are keeping the mood light with Pump Jacks Stress Ball Giveaway Night. The cushy balls with both the Jacks and Raising Cane's logos are perfect for testy two-strike situations and late-game drama, so come on out to Irwin Field and relieve some stress with the Pump Jacks and Raising Cane's.

The regular season will come to a close when the Jacks visit the Bombers for a pair of games next Thursday and Friday.

By that time, the playoff situation will be set in stone, and the Pump Jacks will travel for a one-game playoff on August 8th with their eyes set on advancing to the TCL Championship Series. If the Jacks reach the finals, the best-of-three series will likely begin with a home game on Sunday, August 9. So keep pulling for the Pump Jacks and cheer them into the postseason!

Fans who are unable to join in on the festivities can tune in to our live Ustream broadcast or follow the game with live scoring updates on our Pointstreak feed.

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Texas Collegiate League Stories from July 31, 2015


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