East Texas Pump Jacks play late, tire Marshals
Stamina, teamwork, ability earns Pump Jacks a 7-6 win in 12 long innings last night

News Herald Photo by Lester Murray The Pump Jack's - and Kilgore's own - Pat McCrory, No. 4, tagged this McKinney Marshal out, as he made an attempt to steal third base last night.

Just nine games into the team's inaugural season, the East Texas Pump Jacks may have earned themselves a nickname.

You can call them the Cardiac Jacks.

The Pump Jacks treated the home faithful to yet another roller coaster ride Thursday night, falling behind the visiting McKinney Marshals early before winning, 7-6, in 12 innings. The winning run crossed the plate when catcher Logan Moro drew a one-out, basesloaded walk, bringing home Pat McCrory and bringing an end to another home game that topped four hours.

That the Jacks were still in it at that point is a testament to the team's ability to come back and make a game out of nearly any deficit. In five out of nine games this season, East Texas has fallen behind early and then come back to tie the score late.

On Thursday, McKinney jumped out with a run in the first, three in the third, and another in the fifth to take a commanding 5-0 lead.

The Jacks fought back to within one with four runs in the bottom of the eighth. McCrory starting things off with a oneout walk, then Paige Hodges reached on an error. McCrory stole third, then Nate Bryan drew yet another error, scoring McCrory and moving Hodges to third.

With a run across, head coach Stan Phelps sent to the plate pinch-hitter Matt Curry for his first appearance of the season. Curry, returning from an illness that cost him the first week of the season, was one of the most dangerous hitters in the country this spring at Howard College. The defending TCL home run king, he earned a selection by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Major League draft in early June.

Curry didn't disappoint, singling through the right side to score Hodges and move Bryan to third. Moro then walked to load the bases. Josh Riley, a teammate of Bryan and Curry this spring at Howard, drove in the pair with a single to left. Through eight innings, East Texas had cut the McKinney lead to 5-4.

When the Marshals added a run in the top of the ninth, Pump Jacks fans weren't concerned. The Jacks got things going in the ninth with another McCrory one-out walk, followed by a free pass for Hodges. JD Dunn was sent to pinch-hit for Bryan. He responded with a single to right-center that scored McCrory. With Hodges at third after the single, Austin Roff took over at first for Dunn.

That brought to the plate Curry, with the tying run just 90 feet away. The Red Oak native hit a rope to right field that scored Hodges and moved Roff to third. Although the Pump Jacks would load the bases with one out, they were unable to score the deciding run, and for the second time in three home games, the Jacks were headed to extra innings.

The two teams traded scoring chances over the next few innings. East Texas put two runners on in the tenth, then McKinney did the same in the eleventh. The Pump Jacks left the bases loaded in the eleventh inning, and the Marshals responded in kind in the twelfth.

When McCrory led off the home half of the twelfth, Jacks fans could sense another rally. Hodges followed with a walk, then Roff grounded out to advance the runners. With first base open, the Marshals weren't going to chance pitching to Curry, so they intentionally walked him to load the bases. That brought to the plate Moro, who earned his third walk of the game and his second with the bases loaded, to score Mc- Crory and bring the game to an end.

Even though he didn't enter the game until the eighth inning, Curry led the squad with a pair of hits. Curry and Riley each drove in two runs, while McCrory scored three times and Hodges scored twice. The Jacks' eight-hit attack was helped by 16 McKinney walks, including four to McCrory and three each to Hodges and Moro.

Kory Cleveland (1-2) picked up the win with a scoreless twelfth inning, but the pitching star of the night was his predecessor, Aaron Wilkerson. Wilkerson came on in the ninth and tossed three hitless innings, walking two and striking out seven.

Chad Sherman got the start for the Pump Jacks, giving up five runs, four of them earned, in five innings pitched. Matt Shelton pitched in with two innings of scoreless relief. Khris Tate registered an inning of relief, allowing one run, before giving way to Wilkerson.

The two teams will complete their home-and-home set on Friday night in McKinney.

East Texas welcomes the Coppell Copperheads to town on Saturday and Sunday, June 21 and 22. Following a Monday off-day, the Bombers will visit on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 24 and 25.

Tickets for this weekend and the remainder of the Jacks' inaugural season schedule are on sale now. Fans may purchase tickets at the Pump Jacks office at 1100 Stone Road, Suite 120, in Kilgore, or over the phone at (903) 218-GO ET. Tickets may also be purchased online - and printed at home on any home printer - by visiting www.pumpjacksbaseball.com.

Single-game tickets start at $5 each - or $4 for children and seniors - for grandstand general admission tickets. Upper Box seats are $8 each, and Lower Box seats, which feature inyour seat wait service, are only $10 per ticket.