Pump Jacks Pound out Exciting 16-7 Win over Bombers

July 31, 2013 - Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


The East Texas Pump Jacks and Brazos Valley Bombers combined for 39 hits and 23 runs in an exciting battle Tuesday night in Bryan. The Pump Jacks came out on top thanks to an explosive offense that saw eight players collect multi-hit games.

The East Texas Pump Jacks and Brazos Valley Bombers engaged in an old fashioned slugfest Tuesday night, combining for 23 runs on nearly 40 hits. The Pump Jacks raced to a 16-7 victory when they broke a 7-all tie by scoring nine runs in the final two innings.

The Jacks offense scored 16 runs on 23 hits, overshadowing the seven runs and 16 hits by the Bombers. East Texas set season highs in both runs and hits, falling just one short of tying Brazos Valley's TCL season-high 17 runs on opening night against the Acadiana Cane Cutters.

How offensive was Tuesday's game? Players reached base by hit, walk or error 51 times, nearly matching the number of outs in the game (54). Twenty position players appeared in the contest and only one, Brazos Valley second baseman Patrick McLendon, didn't reach safely--and McLendon still managed to drive in a run.

Eight Pump Jacks players recorded more than one hit, led by four hits apiece from Mitch Meyer and Mark Mathias. Meyer collected a single, double, and triple in his first three at-bats, finishing 4-for-5 with four runs scored and three RBI, improving his batting average on the season to .440. Mathias went 4-for-6 with a double and scored three runs. Nate Esposito drove in a game-high four runs while going 3-for-6.

East Texas hitters were strong from top to bottom, but the middle of the lineup was most dangerous. The No. 3 through No. 6 hitters in the lineup--Mathias, Meyer, Joey Armstrong, and Esposito--combined to go 13-for-21 with 10 runs scored and nine RBI.

Even with all the firepower, Tuesday's game was up in the air until the Pump Jacks broke it open in the eighth inning. With the game tied 7-7, Connor Huesers reached first on an error by Bombers third basemen Hunter Melton. After Huesers stole second, Mathias singled to left and stole second to put two runners in scoring position. The Bombers intentionally walked the hot-hitting Meyer to get to Armstrong, who made Brazos Valley pay with a two-run single that gave East Texas a 9-7 lead.

From there, the floodgates opened. Armstrong stole second and the ball bounced away from the catcher, allowing Armstrong to take third and Meyer to scamper home. Esposito singled to right, scoring Armstrong. Bret Bitow, who pinch-ran for Ryan Hope in the seventh inning, singled in his first at-bat of the night, and Michael Hymes walked to load the bases. Matthew Dickey singled over the head of the shortstop to drive in two and extend the lead to 13-7.

The Pump Jacks added three more insurance runs in the ninth to put the game away. Beau Day, Hymes and Dickey each collected RBI singles to finish off the scoring and secure the 16-7 victory.

Meyer got the scoring started in the first inning, tripling home Huesers and Mathias. Two innings later, Meyer doubled, Armstrong walked, and Esposito drove them both home with an RBI single to stake East Texas to a 4-0 lead.

The Bombers got one back in the home half of the third, scoring the first earned run in 24 innings off of reigning Warstic TCL Pitcher of the WeekRobert Parucha. The next inning proved to be even rougher for Parucha, who faced ten Brazos Valley hitters and allowed six runs. Huesers stopped the bleeding when he gunned down a runner trying to score after an RBI single by G.R. Hinsley, but the Bombers still had a 7-4 lead after four innings.

The Jacks answered back right away, tying the game with three runs in the top of the fifth inning. East Texas opened the frame with five consecutive singles, including run-scoring base hits by Meyer and Esposito. It was Hymes that delivered in the clutch, blooping a two-out single with the bases loaded to tie the game at 7-7 and set the stage for the late Pump Jacks heroics.

Parucha battled through seven innings to pick up the win, his fifth of the season to tie Nick Rossetta for the team lead. Kenny Oakley pitched the final two innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two batters.

The Jacks close out the two-game series and the six-game road trip Wednesday night when they return to Brazos Valley looking for the series sweep.

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

Friday 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 Saturday 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 Sunday 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.



Texas Collegiate League Stories from July 31, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central