Local Sports

By CLINT BUCKLEY
Staff Writer

KILGORE - Poor execution at the plate and in the field cost the East Texas Pump Jacks a chance to protect their home field in the opener of the Texas Collegiate League playoffs.

East Texas made five errors and pushed across just five hits in a 5-1 loss to the Coppell Copperheads in the Game 1 of their TCL best-of-three series on Tuesday night at Driller Park.

The five errors, which led to three unearned runs, tied a season-high for the Pump Jacks (22-27), who now must win twice in Coppell (27-22) to advance to the championship series this weekend.

"We didn't do the job when we had guys on base," said East Texas manager Stan Phelps. "We needed sound defense, and we didn't have that tonight."

Game 2 of the series is at 7:05 p.m. tonight in Coppell. If a third game is necessary, it will be at 7:05 p.m. Thursday also in Coppell. The winner will face either McKinney or Brazos Valley in the best-of-three championship series.

Riley Boening (3-1), from the University of Texas, kept the East Texas lineup off balance all night. He allowed a run on just four singles and struck out three in six innings.

The Copperheads scored twice in the sixth to take a 3-1 lead. Taylor Davis had a two-out, RBI double and later scored on an error by third baseman Paige Hodges.

Coppell went up 4-1 in the seventh on a pair of East Texas miscues. After Jaron Shepard walked, he moved to third when Matt Shelton's pickoff throw skipped up the right field line. He later scored on a wild pitch.

East Texas had a chance to draw closer in the bottom of the seventh after Josh Riley and Pat McCrory drew back-to-back walks to chase Boening from the game.

However, reliever Tyler McClary came in and struck out Andrew Nettune and Brad Hawn and got Jared Wondra to line out to left to end the inning.

Coppell tied the game, 1-1, in the top of the fifth when Austin Goolsby scored on a fielder's choice grounder by Robert Barbosa.

The Pump Jacks got on the board first in the second inning, after a pair of native East Texans set the table with two outs.

McCrory, an ex-Kilgore product, singled to left and Nettune, a former All Saints standout, followed with a single to center. Next, Brad Hawn reached on an infield hit with McCrory coming around to score from second.

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Texas Collegiate League Playoffs Semifinals

Game 1

At Driller Park, Kilgore

Coppell 5, East Texas 1

Coppell 000 012 101 - 5 5 0

East Texas 010 000 000 - 1 5 5

Riley Boening, Tyler McClary (7), Charlie Aceto (8) and Austin Goolsby; Bryan Dixon, Matt Shelton (6), Michael LaCourse (8), Aaron Wilkerson (9) and Brad Hawn. W - Boening (3-1). L - Dixon (3-2). S - Aceto (4). 2B - C: Travis Sample, Taylor Davis. SB - C: Runey Davis, Jaron Shepard (2). SAC - C: R. Davis.

RECORDS - Coppell 27-22; East Texas 22-27.

NEXT UP - Game 2: East Texas at Coppell, 7:05 p.m. today.

POSTSEASON BASEBALL: East Texas Pump Jacks second baseman Josh Riley is late with the tag as Coppell Copperheads’ Runey Davis slides into second base during the second inning of Tuesday’s playoff game at Driller Park in Kilgore.
(Staff Photo By Herb Nygren Jr.)