Pump Jacks Bit by Copperheads

Published on July 30, 2011 under Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


The record for most wins in a Texas Collegiate League season is safe.

At least for one more night, that is.

The Coppell Copperheads played the spoiler for the final Fireworks Friday of the season, outdueling the Pump Jacks and holding on for a 4-1 win at historic Driller Park.

The Jacks dropped their third of four but still maintain a league-best 33-15 record on the season. East Texas tied the number of wins in a TCL season on Thursday with a 7-3 win over the Brazos Valley Bombers.

Jaron Long took his first loss of the season despite a strong outing. The Chandler-Gilbert Community College sophomore tossed 5.2 strong innings, allowing only one earned run and striking out a season-high six. Long scattered seven hits in his second start of the season for the Jacks.

Coppell starter Kyle Bumpas also had a season-high night, striking out eight and holding the Pump Jacks to six hits and one earned run.

Tyler Girouard picked up the Jacks lone RBI but saw his 17 game hit streak come to an end, scoring Seth Granger on a fielders choice. Hunter Dozier posted a pair of singles for the Jacks only multi-hit game. Coming in to pinch hit in the seventh, Ryan Small picked up his fourth hit in only seven at bats. Jace Statum, Kirby Pellant, Ryan Moore and Granger each singled to round out the Jacks offensive attack. The Pump Jacks left seven stranded on the bags, four times with a runner at third.

Pellant stole two bases to extend his TCL-lead to 25 on the season. Statum and Moore each swiped a bag as well.

Long and Bumpas went back-and-forth for the first three innings and the pitching duel was on.

The Jacks struck first when Granger led off the bottom of the fourth inning, followed by Dozier reaching on an error by the Copperhead second baseman, pushing Granger to third. With the hit streak on the line, Girouard was strictly hitting for contact and scored Granger on a fielder's choice, giving the Jacks the 1-0 lead.

Bumpas recovered quickly, sitting the Jacks down on three straight strikeouts in the fifth.

The Copperheads posted three runs in the top of sixth with four singles and an costly error from the Jacks infield, giving them a 3-1 lead. James Hudelson took over with two outs and runners on the corners and picked up a strikeout to end the threat.

Pellant led off the bottom half with a single and stole second and third but was left stranded as Bumpas sat the next three batters down in order.

Hudelson responded in the seventh by sitting the Copperheads down in order, striking out two. The Missouri hurler walked one and gave up a double in the eighth before giving way to Donnie Hart with one away. Hart allowed the inherited runner at third to score on a wild pitch before striking out two to end the inning. But the Copperheads took the three run lead, which they would not relinquish.

The Copperheads return to historic Driller Park tomorrow for the finale of the two-game set.

The Pump Jacks are celebrating the return of the NFL on Saturday with "Football is Back Night," presented by Kilgore Ford and Priority Energy Services. Fans have a chance to win tickets to a Dallas Cowboys game - that's right, the Jacks are giving away Cowboys tickets! Fans can also receive one of 200 Pump Jacks mini footballs, which will be given away at the front gate.

To follow all the news and to watch every pitch of the 2011 season, visit the Pump Jacks official web site at www.pumpjacksbaseball.com. Interact with other Pump Jacks fans and enjoy special promotions and polls by visiting the Pump Jacks on Facebook and Twitter.

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Texas Collegiate League Stories from July 30, 2011


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