Tyler Smith pitched a complete game in game two to pick up the win!
After the Victoria Generals and Coppell Copperheads were rained out on Wednesday night, the two teams met in Coppell on Thursday evening to play two seven inning contests.
Game 1
Cuero native Ross Goebel took the ball for the Generals in game one of the evening. The Copperheads sent Jacob Lara to the mound.
Lara turned in a great outing, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing only one run on two hits while striking out 11 batters, but received a no decision.
The Copperheads got on the board in the third inning on a solo home run by Andrew LaComb. It was one of seven hits that the Copperheads would get off of Goebel on the evening.
The Generals tied the game at 1-1 in the sixth inning. With two outs, Grayson Porter drilled a triple to the left-centerfield wall to break up Lara’s no-hitter. Kyle Arnsberg then drove in Porter with a single to right field.
The Copperheads retook the lead with a single run in the bottom of the frame to make the score 2-1.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Cody Abraham hit a double. After a fly out for the second out of the inning, the Generals were down to their final out of the ballgame.
With a 3-2 count on Chad Kruse, the leading hitter in the Texas Collegiate League, Copperheads closer Louis Head left a pitch out over the plate that Kruse drilled over the head of the centerfielder for a triple to score Abraham and tie the game at 2-2. Kruse had stuck out in all three of his previous at bats on the night.
Freddy Villalobos then hit a routine groundball to the third baseman, but his throw got under the glove of the first baseman for an error allowing Kruse to score and give the Generals the 3-2 advantage.
Covey Morrow came on to close things out in the bottom of the seventh inning and pick up the save.
Goebel notched his second win of the season for the Generals. Goebel pitched six innings and allowed only two runs on seven hits while striking out five.
Game 1 Box Score: http://texascl.bbstats.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=52539
Game 2
In game two, the Generals offense jumped on Copperheads starting pitcher Clayton Crum early. The Generals scored one run in the first inning as Jake Runte led off the game with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI single by Michael McGraw.
The Copperheads tied the game in the second inning, but the Generals then scored seven unanswered runs with three in the third and four in the fourth.
In the third, Chad Kruse, Freddy Villalobos, and McGraw had back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases with one out. Trent Wagner then grounded into a fielder’s choice that allowed both Kruse and Villalobos to score. Wagner would later score on a double steal.
In the fourth, Abraham led off with a walk, Runte hit a single to advance Abraham to third, and then Abraham scored on an RBI single by Kruse. Michael McGraw would later draw a walk to load the bases before Wagner drove a single to right field to score Runte and Kruse. McGraw came around to score on a double steal.
Tyler Smith picked up the complete game win for the Generals. Smith pitched all seven innings, allowing only one run on four hits while striking out four batters. Smith was economical with his pitches, throwing only 74 on the night, 48 strikes and only 26 balls. Smith is now 2-1 on the season.
The Generals improved to 9-11 on the season as the Copperheads fell to 10-10.
The Generals will head to East Texas to take on the Pump Jacks on Friday and Saturday before returning home on Monday to play the Acadiana Cane Cutters at 7:05pm at Riverside Stadium in Victoria.
Game 2 Box Score: http://texascl.bbstats.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=48385
