Pump Jacks Score Two Touchdowns, Allow a Field Goal

Published on July 16, 2014 under Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


Both the Kilgore High School Bulldogs and Dallas Cowboys are months away from their respective seasons. Nevertheless, you'll forgive East Texas Pump Jacks fans for thinking about pigskin after watching the Jacks rack up the equivalent of two touchdowns in a 14-3 blowout of the Woodlands Strykers Tuesday at historic Driller Park.

The Jacks accrued 13 hits and 13 walks and batted around twice in the game, including a seven-run first inning that saw the Strykers use three different pitchers.

This kind of offensive explosion is nothing new to the Pump Jacks when they face the Strykers. The last time the two teams met, in the nightcap of a doubleheader in The Woodlands, East Texas exploded for a 19-5 victory that set a TCL season-high for runs scored by one team in a game.

Tuesday's contest was effectively over in the first inning, when the Jacks sent 12 men to the plate and batted for 33 minutes. Every Pump Jacks starter either walked or singled in the first frame.

Joe Moroney walked, Connor Huesers reached on an infield single, and Peter Miller and Dustin Williams walked. Raymond Pedrina followed with an infield single of his own, after which the next five Jacks walked. Four of the seven runs first-inning runs scored on passed balls, another on a wild pitch, and two more were forced in with the bases loaded. In fact, East Texas scored the seven runs on just two hits, and nothing hit safely out of the infield.

The Pump Jacks didn't let up, adding solo runs in the second and fifth innings. In the second, Pedrina singled, took second on a passed ball, and scampered home on Drew McLaughlin's RBI base hit.

Three innings later, Huesers scored on a bases-loaded fielder's choice off the bat of Pedrina. Huesers had reached on a fielder's choice of his own, after which Miller and Danny Bolanos walked. Pedrina grounded to short but the Strykers couldn't complete the double play, allowing Huesers to come home for the ninth Pump Jacks run of the game.

Meanwhile, Ray Messner was quashing any hopes of a Woodlands rally. He struck out the side in the first to set the tone and posted his first victory of the season. Messner went 6.1 innings, allowing three runs (two of them earned) on six hits. He struck out five.

The Woodlands picked up a run in the third to make the score 8-1, then answered the Pump Jacks' tally in the fifth with a run in the sixth to make the score 9-2.

That's when the Pump Jacks batted around again, sending 11 hitters to bat and scoring five times in the sixth inning. McLaughlin singled, and Chris Osborne and James Lear reached to load the bases with no outs. McLaughlin scored on a wild pitch and Osborne came home on Moroney's sacrifice fly.

Huesers singled home Lear, and one out later, Bolanos delivered a base hit to put runners at the corners. Pedrina's RBI base hit brought home Huesers, and Connor Hornsby singled to load the bases. McLaughlin singled home Bolanos for the fifth run of the inning to make the score 14-2.

The Strykers tacked on a run in the seventh inning on a solo homer to close out the scoring at 14-3. Andrew Grifol took over for Messner and coaxed a double-play grounder to get out of the inning.

Jordon Gonzalez and Jacob Byrd contributed a scoreless inning apiece to close out the game. Gonzalez struck out two and Byrd struck out the side in a perfect ninth.

Every Pump Jack who stepped to the plate reached base at least once by a hit or a walk and scored a run. McLaughlin led the attack by going 4-for-5 with a walk, two runs, and two RBI. Huesers went 3-for-6 with three runs scored, and Pedrina was 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run. Both Moroney and Miller walked three times.

The Pump Jacks host the Strykers at Driller Park again on Wednesday. Wednesday's game marks Will Ferrell's 47th birthday, so join the Pump Jacks as we celebrate some of Will's most memorable characters. We'll start it off by selling corn dogs in the concessions stand for the only night this season. As Father Pat the referee said in Semi-Pro, "Corn dogs, Jackie, corn dogs!"

East Texas travels to Acadiana Thursday for a two-game stretch against the Cane Cutters before returning home this weekend to take on the Victoria Generals. The weekend will kick off with Bark in the Park on Saturday, when fans are invited to bring their dogs to Driller Park. Sunday marks the return of Family Night presented by the Longview News-Journal.

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Texas Collegiate League Stories from July 16, 2014


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