June 20, 2024 – The Victoria Generals, after splitting a doubleheader in Bryan Tuesday night, arrived back home on the banks of the Guadalupe just 36 hours after Tropical Storm Alberto’s rainbands ravaged the Victoria region and gave the fans a pitching clinic with their narrow 4-2 victory of the defending Texas Collegiate League champion, the Seguin River Monsters. Victoria’s victory Thursday improved their league-best record to 12-6, while Seguin remains at the bottom of the barrel with the defeat at 4-13.
The Generals came into Thursday night with the second-best team ERA in the league at 4.10, and that recent success was fully evident at Riverside as LHP Merek Sears (Univ. Houston) continued his incredible start to his summer with six and a third innings of seven hits, two-run, one walk, and six strikeouts. Sears’s ERA now sits at a staggering 1.47, a similar number to the man who collected the eight-out save behind him in RHP Kendall Dove (Texas A&M Corpus Christi). Dove put up another shutout relief performance, allowing just one baserunner while punching out three River Monsters.
Meanwhile, at the plate, Victoria struggled for two-thirds of the contest Thursday, as their then-one run came from a bases-loaded walk from OF Damien Whitfield (UT Rio Grande Valley). However, with the bases loaded again, this time with nobody out, the Generals were able to bring all three runners home mainly in part due to a devastating error committed by pinch-hitting Seguin 3B Colin Carrejo (UT San Antonio), in which he overthrew his first baseman to bring the two go-ahead runs for Victoria which decided the game in the end. This is a continuing theme for the struggling River Monsters, as their now 36 errors lead the TCL.
The Generals record in front of the home faithful has now improved to a stunning 8-1, and they will look now to keep the momentum rolling as they seek the TCL illustrious #1 seed in their upcoming postseason. In order to secure it, the Generals must have the league’s best record by the end of the games on Wednesday, June 26th. Victoria looks for the two-game sweep and a third straight victory when they battle with the River Monsters once again on Friday, June 21st. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Riverside Stadium and is also another free ticket night at the ballpark sponsored by our partners, ZEN Wtr.
