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Parucha Earns Warstic TCL Pitcher of the Week Again

July 29, 2013 - Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


Robert Parucha arrived in East Texas a little late. He didn't even take the mound for the first time in a Pump Jacks uniform until June 21, and he didn't have enough of a track record to make the TCL All-Star Game.

He seems to be making up for lost time.

One week after earning the Warstic TCL Pitcher of the Week award with a complete-game victory over the Victoria Generals, the sophomore right-hander turned the trick against the Brazos Valley Bombers last Tuesday. The TCL responded in kind, on Monday awarding him the title for a second straight week.

Parucha became the first back-to-back winner of a TCL weekly award this year, and the first pitcher to repeat a weekly award since Brazos Valley's Damien Rivera in 2011.

Although several TCL pitchers turned in complete games, Parucha excelled in his second consecutive nine-inning affair. He was making his fifth start of the season on July 23, and he was in midseason form. He allowed only one unearned run on five hits, and he struck out five without a walk. He was efficient as well, throwing just 91 pitches, 70 of them for strikes.

Parucha came out on a roll, retiring the side in the first inning on just eight pitches. He carried a no-hitter through four innings, until Hunter Melton notched Brazos Valley's first base hit in the fifth.

One week prior, Parucha had tallied his first complete game with a season-high ten strikeouts. He allowed just five baserunners all game, at point retiring 15-straight Generals.

The UC Davis sophomore is now 4-0 with a sparkling 1.68 ERA in 37.1 innings pitched on the season. He has allowed just one earned run in his last 22 innings, and he has more wins on the season than walks (two). Thanks to his last two award-winning performances, he is tied for the TCL lead with two complete games.

Parucha is the second Pump Jack pitcher to pick up league honors. Jordan Johnson won the same award for his complete-game, nine-strikeout effort in Week Four.

They join fellow Pump Jacks winners Mitch Meyer, who slugged his way Player of the Week accolades in Week Five, and Garrett McMullen, the first Player of the Week in the TCL this season.

The Pump Jacks are off on Monday, but they return to action Tuesday and Wednesday with a two-game set at Brazos Valley.

The team returns home for a four-game homestand beginning this Thursday, August 1. Thursday is Thirsty Thursday, when fans get to cool off with draft beers for just one dollar and regular soft drinks for only 50 cents.

August 2 is the fifth Fireworks Friday of the season, presented by CBS 19. The Pump Jacks will set the sky afire with a spectacular postgame fireworks display set to a unique soundtrack. Only two Fireworks Fridays remain this summer, so you don't want to miss this show!

The Pump Jacks will give fans a chance to take home game-worn memorabilia on August 3 with Shirt Off Our Back Night, presented by Republic Services. The players and coaches will be wearing special jerseys just for the evening, and every one of them can be won by fans. Some of the tops will be given away in a free raffle, and the remainder will be part of a silent auction to benefit charity. If you want to own a game-worn jersey from a potential future big leaguer, this is your chance to go home with a unique piece of Pump Jacks memorabilia.

The four-game homestand concludes on August 4 with Sunday Fun Day, presented by theGOspot.com. Enjoy $2.50 chips and salsa or $2.50 frozen margaritas and Straw-ber-ritas for the weekend event. The Pump Jacks will even have face painting for the kids, exclusively on Sunday Fun Day presented by theGOspot.com.

Tickets for next week can be purchased online at pumpjacksbaseball.com; in person at the Pump Jacks office at 106 North Kilgore Street, #201, in downtown Kilgore; by phone at (903) 218-4638 ; or at the ticket office at Driller Park the night of the game.

To get all the news on the Pump Jacks 2013 season, including game stories and promotional updates, 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 and Twitter.

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