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The last-place McKinney Marshals seem to play like champions against the Brazos Valley Bombers.
The defending Texas Collegiate League winners won 4-2 on Wednesday night at Brazos Valley Bank Ballpark, ending the Bombers' eight-game home winning streak. The loss also knocked Brazos Valley (11-7) out of a second-place tie with the Victoria Generals.
The Bombers could be leading the wooden-bat league instead of East Texas (12-6) if they could do better against the Marshals. McKinney has won three of five against Brazos Valley but is only 2-12 against the other teams. The Bombers' last loss and only home loss this season was to McKinney 8-2 on June 9.
The Bombers pulled out a 5-4 victory at McKinney on Sunday but never led Wednesday night, squandering what few scoring chances they had. Brazos Valley had four runners thrown out on the bases, with the most costly coming in the sixth.
McKinney starting pitcher Thomas Rooke showed signs of tiring as he allowed a single to Casey Dykes sandwiched by walks to Clifton Thomas and John Hale. McKinney head coach Kyle Hope opted to stick with his left-hander, who had allowed only two hits in five innings.
Rooke induced Brett Parsons into hitting a sacrifice fly. That scored Thomas just ahead of a strong throw from right fielder Cody Gambill. However, catcher Tyler Ogle threw to second to retire Dykes, who had drifted too far toward third.
The Bombers' Andre Rodriguez greeted reliever Nick Thomas with an RBI double. Jesse Payne walked and Wes Schill singled sharply to center, but McKinney's hard-charging Jake Luce threw out Rodriguez at the plate.
"That cost us two runs right there," Brazos Valley Bombers manager Brent Alumbaugh said.
The Bombers were limited to one hit and one walk in the final three innings.
"I told [the players] the score was insignificant," Alumbaugh said. "We didn't make adjustments offensively, and we didn't run the bases very well. I told them to keep those things in their memory bank and not let it happen again."
McKinney didn't play a clean game, either. The Marshals had runners thrown out at third and home. But McKinney had nine hits and solid pitching.
Rooke (1-0) struck out four and threw only 77 pitches through five innings.
Thomas and Cory Myers finished the six-hitter. Myers earned the save with a 1-2-3 ninth. He struck out eight Bombers in three innings in the 8-2 victory on June 9.
McKinney scored first on Jake Luce's leadoff double in the third and J.B. Brown's single.
McKinney added a run on Curt Restko's leadoff homer in the fifth, but it could have been more. Brown was hit by a pitch and had a few words for Brazos Valley starting pitcher Drew Flaniken and third baseman Dykes as Brown was escorted to first. Brown eventually had to be restrained again as he headed to the dugout after being retired at the plate on a failed safety squeeze.
Brown got some revenge during McKinney's two-run sixth.
The 722 fans were hollering at Brown, who took two mighty swings before striking out. But the ball eluded Brazos Valley catcher John Cannon, allowing Brown to reach first as McKinney scored its last run.
Brazos Valley reliever Brian Watson retired the first two hitters in the sixth before an infield hit and walk. Restko had an RBI single to make it 3-0.
*
NOTES -- Parsons singled in the eighth to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. ... McKinney also won the TCL in 2006.
McKinney 4, Brazos Valley 2
McKinney 001 012 000 -- 4 9 1
Brazos Valley Bombers 000 002 000 -- 2 6 1
Thomas Rooke, Nick Thomas (6), Cory Myers (9) and Tyler Ogle. Drew Flaniken, Brian Watson (6), Andrew Velez (9) and John Cannon. W -- Rooke, 1-0. L -- Flaniken, 3-1. S -- Myers.
HR -- Curt Restko, McKinney (1)
Brazos Valley BOMBERS
Wednesday's score: McKinney Marshals 4, Brazos Valley Bombers 2
Thursday's game: McKinney at Brazos Valley Bombers, 7 p.m.
