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Pump Jacks Rough up Generals

July 28, 2014 - Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


When the East Texas Pump Jacks pointed their bus south Saturday morning, they had yet to win this season in Victoria.

The Pump Jacks quickly changed that after arriving at Riverside Stadium, sending 12 hitters to the plate in the sixth inning and coasting to an 11-2 victory over the Victoria Generals.

The win further improved the Jacks' playoff odds over the Texas Marshals and Woodlands Strykers, who both lost Saturday night. The Pump Jacks lead the Marshals by two games and hold a 2.5-game advantage over the Strykers in the race for the fourth postseason berth. In fact, with a 9-9 record in the second half, East Texas sits one game behind Acadiana for the third playoff seed.

The Pump Jacks rode the efforts of the top of the order and the arm of Tanner Cable to take over the game. James Lear, Connor Huesers, and Peter Miller each reached base four times on the night and combined to score seven runs. Cable pitched six strong innings, allowing just one earned run.

The theme of the game was timely hitting by the Pump Jacks. Ten of the Jacks' 11 runs were scored with two outs.

Still, it was the Generals who got on the board first, taking advantage of a Pump Jacks error on a potential double play ball to go up 1-0.

The Pump Jacks came back with a vengeance, batting around in the fifth inning- and doing all the damage with two outs. Drew McLaughlin led off with a walk. A sacrifice and a strikeout followed, bringing up Lear with McLaughlin on second. Lear singled to left and McLaughlin beat the throw home to tie the game at 1-1.

Lear, who took second on the play at the plate, moved to third on a balk, then Huesers walked and stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Miller singled home Lear to give the Pump Jacks their first lead of the night, and Dustin Williams did the same to extend the margin to 3-1.

Pinch-hitter Anthony Gonsolin was hit in the head by a pitch to load the bases. Connor Hornsby grounded to short, but the throw to first was low and got away from the first baseman, allowing two runs to score. In his second plate appearance of the inning, McLaughlin walked to load the bases yet again. Danny Bolanos walked to force home Gonsolin for a 6-1 East Texas lead.

Victoria tried to climb back into the game in the home half of the fifth, but Cable stood his ground and kept the damage to a minimum. The Generals loaded the bases with no outs after a walk and two base hits. A sacrifice fly scored a run to make the score 6-2. But Cable struck out all-star Justin Pacchioli and coaxed a harmless pop fly from David Paiz to work out of the jam.

Cable went one more inning before giving way to Darren Lauer to start the seventh. Cable earned his first win of the season by holding the Generals to two runs, just one of them earned, on three hits in six innings. He struck out two and walked three.

Lauer retired six straight hitters, one of them by strikeouts, in two innings of work. John Jaeger closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Meanwhile the Pump Jacks added insurance runs in the final two innings. Chris Osborne was hit by a pitch to lead off and Lear followed with a single. Huesers singled up the middle, but Osborne was thrown out at home. Undeterred, Miller followed with a single to score Lear and leave runners at the corners. One out later, Gonsolin lined a double down the left field line to score two more and improve the lead to 9-2.

In the final inning, three walks loaded the bases before an RBI single by Miller. Andrew Grifol walked with the bases loaded to make the score 11-2.

Lear and Miller paced the 14-hit attack, each one going 4-for-6. Lear scored three runs and drove one in, and Miller had three RBI and scored twice. Huesers and McLaughlin were each 1-for-2 with three walks.

The Pump Jacks look for the series sweep on Sunday in Victoria. Fans can follow all the action on Pump Jacks TV, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

After a day off Monday, the Jacks return home for another two-game series against the Marshals. Tuesday is Service Person Appreciation Night, when members of the military, fire, and police can get Grandstand tickets for themselves and their families for just two dollars.

Wednesday is Balloons, Baseball and Root Beer at Driller Park. The Jacks join with the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce & CVB to celebrate the Great Texas Balloon Race at Driller Park. The game will begin at a special time of 6:05 p.m., and balloon pilots will be on hand to meet and sign autographs. Following the game at dusk, the pilots will perform a balloon glow in the park adjacent to Driller, while the Lions Club serves root beer floats. It's an exciting event for the Pump Jacks and the community, and one you don't want to miss.

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