Pump Jacks down Brazos Valley; chasing league lead

By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com Three wins in a row, now, for the East Texas Pump Jacks, who are chasing the Victoria Generals and trying to wrest back that lead in the Texas Collegiate League standings. The Pump Jacks defeated Brazos Valley, 3-1, on Tuesday night at Driller Park, the Jacks’ first home game in nine games. Coming off a road sweep of McKinney on Monday and Tuesday, it was a big win for the Pump Jacks, who stay just 1 1/2 games behind Victoria for the TCL lead. The Pump Jacks are back home tonight, hosting Brazos once more at 7:05 p.m. East Texas is also home on Thursday and Friday, with a special on drinks Thursday at the ball park and a fireworks show following Friday’s game. On both Thursday and Friday, the Pump Jacks will host McKinney. Tuesday night against Brazos, Cam Sokalski, a sophomore at Panola College originally from British Columbia (Canada), picked up the win with seven strong innings on the mound. He struck out seven and gave up just one unearned run on four hits and a walk. The Pump Jacks took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. James Stanfield, the freshman from the University of Kansas, managed a one-out single, and then catcher Brett Nicholas, a sophomore at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, doubled that brought Stanfield to third. Another Panola College standout, freshman Matt Juengel, scored Stanfield on a sacrifice fly. The Pump Jacks added another run in the second inning. Bo Coffman walked, went to second on a fielder’s choice, and would score on a single by center fielder and University of Missouri sophomore Russell LaFleur. Brazos would plate that unearned run in the top of the fourth and cut the East Texas lead in half (2-1), but the Pump Jacks got some insurance in the bottom of the fifth. With an out, Stanfield reached on a fielder’s choice and then Nicholas was hit by a pitch, sending Stanfield to second. Juengel hit into a fielder’s choice that put out Nicholas, but sent Stanfield to third, and then Stanfield scored on a wild pitch, what would turn out to be the final run of the game. University of Maryland junior Ian Schwalenberg came on and pitched two innings to finish the contest for East Texas. He struck out three, and earned his second save of the year.