Pump Jacks Slam Cane Cutters

Published on June 16, 2012 under Texas Collegiate League (TCL)
East Texas PumpJacks News Release


After a 1-and-2 road trip, the Pump Jacks returned to Driller Park on Saturday night in need of a solid pitching performance after a few games that taxed their bullpen in Louisiana.

Kyle Kubat was up to the task, and then some.

The southpaw from Nebraska turned in the longest outing by far by a Pump Jacks starter this year, throwing 7.2 stellar innings and getting plenty of run support as the Pump Jacks beat the Cane Cutters 10-3.

On a night where the offense scored ten runs (just one off the Pump Jacks' season-high) on a summer-high 18 hits, it was Kubat who stole the show. He gave up just eight hits in his outing and only one earned run, walking one and striking out six. He left after allowing a two-out single in the eighth to a rousing ovation from the Pump Jacks crowd.

After a scoreless first inning, the Pump Jacks went to work at the plate against Acadiana starter Sean Kennel (1-2). R.J. Santigate led off with a single and was sacrificed to second base by Tyler Girouard. With a runner on second and one out, Taylor Murphy and Colton Bickerstaff hit consecutive doubles to left-center field, the former being lost in the sun by the left fielder Tyler Kamtz. Both Santigate (who had to hold up on Murphy's hit) and Murphy came home to score on Bickerstaff's solid line drive hit for a 2-0 East Texas lead.

In the same inning, Logan Davis singled to put runners on the corners, and Kirby Pellant followed with a double to right-center field. That plated Bickerstaff and gave the Jacks a 3-0 lead.

The Pump Jacks were far from done. In the third inning, Whitt Dorsey and Blair DeBord led off with singles. With two runners on base and no one out, Santigate ripped a double to right-center field, scoring Dorsey and making the score 4-0 in favor of the home team. With runners on second and third, Santigate's hit was followed up by Girouard, who singled up the middle driving in both DeBord and Santigate for a 6-0 Pump Jacks lead.

The following inning, East Texas demonstrated great small-ball baseball. Pellant led off with a single, and after he stole second base, Tyler Sullivan laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Pellant to third. Dorsey then joined the party with an RBI single up the middle to make it 7-0 Pump Jacks.

In the fifth, the Pump Jacks finally chased Kennel from the game after Murphy singled to right and Bickerstaff smacked his second double of the game the other way down the left field line. With runners on second and third and one out, Davis hit a sac-fly to center to plate the eighth run of the game for East Texas.

Through all of that offense, Kubat was mowing down Cane Cutters and only allowing two runners to even reach second base. Acadiana got their first run on an RBI single by Kamtz in the top of the seventh, but the damage was done.

East Texas added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth on another RBI hit from Santigate, this one a single to plate Sullivan, and a bases-loaded walk by Murphy.

Santigate led the Pump Jacks offense, going 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, while Girouard and Bickerstaff had two RBIs each. Girouard ended up 2-for-3 with a double, while Dorsey continued his strong season with a 3-for-4 performance including an RBI of his own.

Kubat (2-0) got the win for East Texas, while Kennel was saddled with the loss for Acadiana, as the Jacks took two out of three from the Cane Cutters and moved their home record this summer to 5-0. The seven-run margin of victory is tied for the largest of the 2012 season. Kubat also owns the three longest starts of the year for the Pump Jacks, including Saturday's game.

The Pump Jacks will remain home on Sunday for a Father's Day doubleheader against the Texas Marshals. Fans who come out to Driller Park will enjoy $1 hot dogs all night long in the second Dog Days of Summer promotion of the summer. First pitch of Game 1 of the doubleheader is set for 6:05 p.m. Come celebrate Father's Day at the ballpark with the East Texas Pump Jacks!

Keep up with the Pump Jacks' fifth anniversary season on www.pumpjacksbaseball.com. Join the conversation and interact with other members of Pump Jacks Nation by visiting the Jacks on Facebook and Twitter.

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Texas Collegiate League Stories from June 16, 2012


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