Texarkana Twins manager Bill Clay was probably the most frustrated person at George Dobson Field Monday night.
Clay’s Twins were battling Acadiana in the Texas Collegiate League standings for playoff position, and he was experimenting and asking for volunteers to pitch. Stephen F. Austin’s Zach Goree came out of the bullpen for his first start this summer and pitched brilliantly for five innings.
Cane Cutters only three back of Twins in TCL
Once Goree tired there was no help in the bullpen, and the Cane Cutters scored nine runs in the final four innings for a 9-1 win. Acadiana is now 17-25 overall and and 11-6 in the second half of TCL play. Texarkana falls to 18-20 and 6-8, respectively. The summer series between the two teams is now tied 5-5, but Cane Cutters have won four of the last five meetings, with Tuesday’s game the final encounter.
The Twins played outstanding baseball for five innings at George Dobson, with Goree allowing two hits and striking out eight. He had pitched less than seven innings all summer coming into the game, all in relief. Clay had to pitch position players the final two innings, with Reese Durand throwing, and former Pleasant Grove player Hudson Hopkins making his first appearance on the mound in years.
Other than Goree, the Twins’ only other bright spot was the hitting of newcomer Mike Manetta, who had two singles. Manetta joined Texarkana over the weekend, and is from Farmingdale, N.Y.
Acadiana’s Boyd shines at George Dobson Field
Winning pitcher Drew Boyd, a southpaw who pitches collegiately for Southern Mississippi, allowed only a first inning run to Texarkana.
Shea Gutierrez led off the bottom of the first with a triple to right-center. He scored three pitches later on Ryne Randle’s single. Randle, the Twins’ second baseman, was the winning pitcher in Texarkana’s 11-inning win over Brazos Valley Sunday night.
It didn’t help that Texarkana players spent hours working on the field after heavy rain prior to the game. The Twins had 16 players in uniform against Acadiana, having lost some players to injury, and others after their college coaches shut them down for the summer.
Despite the adversity, the Twins remain third in the TCL standings, and the top four go to the postseason.