Twins’ bats struggle against Brazos Valley
Texarkana's Alex Rodriguez drilled a hard ground up the middle, where Brazos Valley second baseman Jared Mang made a backhanded stop.
Mang stepped on second and threw to first for a doubleplay to end Tuesday's game with the Texarkana Twins at George
Dobson Field. The twin-killing gave the Bombers a 5-2 victory, while handing the Twins a devastating blow to their hopes of making the postseason.
“We played well; they got timely hitting and we didn't,” Texarkana manager Jake Mitzner said. “We settled in around the sixth and threw a bunch of zeros up there, but we couldn't get the big hits.”
Stillman College sophomore Billy Fogle was Texarkana's highlight, pitching four scoreless innings of relief, scattering three hits, walking one and striking out three.
“Fogle has been good for us all year,” Mitzner said. “He's one of those kids that goes out and throws strikes. He really understands what's going on. In this league to ball parks are so pitcher friendly. If you can challenge the hitters you're going to have a lot of success.”
The Twins had their share of scoring opportunities in the game. They stranded seven runners in the first four innings and eleven for the game.
Brazos Valley relievers Michael Mokma (Michigan State University) and Reid Morgan (Oklahoma State University) slammed the door on Texarkana batters the final four innings.
The Bombers' offense was led by second baseman Jared Mang, who will be a sophomore this fall at the University of New Mexico. Mang leads the league with a .381 batting average, adding a double and two singles against the Twins.
Catcher Ben Bailey, a freshman at Arkansas, had two singles, and third baseman Kyle O'keefe from Memphis University added two singles.
“Brazos Valley has been in this league a long time, and winning the title four straight years doesn't hurt; They've earned all of that and we're new,” Mitzner said. “I love the guys we have in our dugout. I know a lot of them may not be big school name guys, but they're my kind of guys. It is what it is. I'm coming back next summer. I've already been offered an extension. Next year is going to be a little bit different. We'll know what to expect and what to get.”
Gunner Halter, Kyle Bottger and Cole Coffey all had two hits for the Twins. Shane McCarley started on the mound for Texarkana and suffered the loss.
The Bombers are now 8-7 in the second round and tied for second play with Acadiana, while Texarkana slips to 7-10, needing to pass both Brazos Valley and the Cane Cutters to reach the postseason.
Texarkana has 11 games left in the regular season. Brazos Valley 031 010000 – 5 13 0 Texarkana 001 001000 – 2 9 1 Landon Miner, Michael Mokma (6), Brandon Ivey (7), Reid Morgan (9) and Ben Bailey; Shane McCarley, Billy Fogle (6) and Drake Osborn. WP-Miner; LP-McCarley.