Pump Jacks Come up Short against Strykers

Published on August 1, 2012 under Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


The East Texas Pump Jacks finally played at Driller Park again after a stretch of seven road games out of eight total contests. They hoped to find some of the comforts that they've been accustomed to this summer, with a 19-3 home record coming in.

What they found was an opposing pitcher with a dominant breaking ball, as the offense could not get going enough to make a comeback from a two-run late deficit in a 3-2 loss to The Woodlands Strykers.

Kyle Kubat was on the hill for the Pump Jacks, and through the Stryker order the first time, he was perfect. Kubat sent five of the first nine Woodlands Strykers down on strikes and tossed only 28 pitches in the first three innings.

The Pump Jacks also gave him a 1-0 lead in the second to work with. John Williams singled with one out to right field, and a passed ball plus a wild pitch by Richard Bautista put him on third base with two outs. Logan Preston then hit a ground ball to shortstop Gabe Fyock, who threw too high to first base as Preston reached on the error. Williams scored on the play to give the Jacks the lead.

But the lead would be erased in the top of the fourth inning. Fyock atoned for a pair of errors he committed in the second inning by hitting an infield single off of Kubat's foot to lead off the frame. After a sacrifice bunt, an RBI double by Ricardo Sanchez and an RBI single by Brian Brightwell brought home two runs and gave the Strykers a 2-1 lead.

Kubat worked into and out of trouble for the rest of his six-inning outing, but the offense was kept in check by Bautista, allowing only two runners to advance to second base on the night. An RBI triple by Sanchez extended the lead to 3-1 in the eighth, and it looked like the Pump Jacks would go quietly.

But against Bautista in the bottom of the eighth, the Pump Jacks got back in the saddle. A single by Whitt Dorsey chased Bautista from the game. After a fielder's choice replaced Dorsey at first with R.J. Santigate, a 2-and-1 pitch to Taylor Murphy was crushed over Brightwell's head in left, scoring a hustling Santigate all the way from first to cut the deficit to just one run.

After a scoreless top of the ninth by Bryce Lombardi, the Pump Jacks attempted a rally in the bottom of the inning. Preston walked after a long at-bat against reliever Nolan Riggs, and he was replaced at first by Louie Helmburg on a fielder's choice play. With the count once again 2-and-1 to Connor Lloyd, the infielder hit a deep fly ball to left field. As the crowd rose, thinking the ball would clear the fences some 335 feet away, they were brought back to earth just like the ball, which was caught on a leap by Brightwell crashing into the fence to end the ballgame.

Murphy was the hitting star for the Jacks, going 2-for-4 with a double and the only RBI of the night for East Texas. Santigate and Williams had a hit apiece as well as a run scored as the Pump Jacks dropped their third game in a row for just the second time all season.

Bautista (1-0) threw eight-plus innings to get the win, while Kubat (5-1) suffered his first loss of the summer.

East Texas will play a second-straight game at home for only the first time in two weeks tomorrow night at Driller Park. It will be the final Thirsty Thursday of the season, with the Jacks' game against the Texas Marshals representing the last time that fans can enjoy $1 draft beers, 50-cent soft drinks and $3 frozen margaritas.

First pitch for each game is set for 7:05 p.m.

Playoff tickets are also on sale now! By virtue of winning the first-half title, the Jacks' will host a first-round playoff game on Sunday, August 12. This year, the first round of the TCL playoffs is just one game, so the Jacks will be playing for a berth in the TCL Championship Series. Tickets are on sale now on the web, by phone, or at the Pump Jacks office in downtown Kilgore.

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Texas Collegiate League Stories from August 1, 2012


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