The best baseball team in the Texas Collegiate League keeps getting better. The improvement came at the Brazos Valley Bombers' expense Wednesday night.

First-place East Texas scored a run in the ninth inning to slip past the Bombers 4-3 at the Brazos Valley Bank Ballpark as the Pump Jacks stretched their winning streak to six games.

The Pump Jacks, already assured of a spot in the TCL playoffs after winning the first half of league play, improved their overall record to 25-11 for a 5 1/2-game lead. East Texas also has the top mark in the second half at 6-1.

Brazos Valley lost its third consecutive game, falling to 18-18 overall and 3-4 in the second half.

The Bombers beat East Texas on July 4 to start the second half with a bang, and the home team put itself in position for another encouraging victory Wednesday. Completely shut down by East Texas starter James Guillen through the first five innings, Brazos Valley stunned the Pump Jacks by scoring three runs in the sixth for a 3-3 tie.

Brazos Valley left the potential go-ahead run in scoring position in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings, finishing the night 1 for 9 with runners at second or third.

Those missed opportunities cost the Bombers, and East Texas relief pitcher Jason Jester delivered the bill. Jester is a hard-throwing right-hander from Temple College who has signed with Texas A&M, and he looked capable of helping the Aggies during Wednesday's outing.

Jester (1-1) struck out the first two batters and cruised through the eighth. Matt Milligan started the bottom of the ninth with a bloop single and pinch runner John Hale moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by No. 9 batter John Cannon. Jester responded by striking out Greg Olson on four pitches and ended the game by getting BV shortstop Scott Arthur on a called third strike.

The Pump Jacks scratched out the winning run in the ninth. BV reliever Alec Mills, who had worked 2 1/3 hitless innings, allowed a leadoff single to Tyler Girouard. Scott Kalush moved the runner over with a well-executed two-strike sacrifice. Girouard went to third on a swinging bunt that produced the second out, and then Mills (3-3) uncorked a wild pitch that allowed the run to score.

Lefty Jameson Holt made his first start for the Bombers after 10 relief appearances and had a solid outing. The Pump Jacks scored on a two-run single by Hunter Dozier with two outs in the third. East Texas added a run in the sixth as Beau Maggi walked, stole second when he was picked off, and scored on a two-out infield single by Girouard.

The Bombers answered in the home half of the sixth when Arthur and Jordan Hammerman had one-out singles and scored on a double by Casey Dykes. A pair of wild pitches allowed Dykes to add the tying run.

Brazos Valley and East Texas will finish their two-game series at 7 p.m. Thursday.