The Victoria Generals received another great outing from a starting pitching on Monday night as they defeated the East Texas Pump Jacks by a final score of 8-5. Blake Denman pitched six strong innings for the Generals, allowing only two runs on four hits while striking out four batters to pick up his first win of the season.
The Generals got on the board in the top of the first inning, scoring two runs without a hit. After leading the game off with a walk, Cody Abraham came around to score on an RBI ground out by John Longoria. Freddy Villalobos was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning and scored as a part of a double steal.
The Generals tacked on another run in the second when Chad Kruse drove an RBI single to left field to plate Brad Shankle who had reached earlier in the inning on a walk.
In the fourth inning, Abraham led off with a single, advanced to second on a ground out, and then scored on an RBI double by Villalobos to stretch the Generals lead to 4-0.
The Pump Jacks scored a single run in the bottom of the fourth, but the Generals answered right back with a run a run of their own in the top of the fifth. Trent Wagner led off the frame with a double and later scored on an RBI single by Shankle.
The Generals increased their lead to 8-1 in the sixth. Cory Hunt led off with a single before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by Abraham. Chad Kruse then ripped a double down the left field line to plate Hunt. Villalobos followed up with another double to score Kruse. Villalobos eventually scored on an RBI ground out by Longoria.
The Pump Jacks put up a fight in the sixth and seventh innings, scoring four runs to cut the Generals lead to 8-5. Right-hander Phillip Garcia came on in relief with the bases loaded and the reigning TCL Player of the Year, Lee Orr, at the plate. Garcia was able to get Lee Orr to line out to second base to get out of the jam.
The Generals added an insurance run in the top of the eighth inning to make the score 9-5. That would be the final as Covey Morrow came on in the ninth and pitched an inning of scoreless relief.
