The Texarkana Twins kept pace with the Victoria Generals for six innings in their inaugural game in the Texas Collegiate League.
However, the Generals broke the game wide open in the seventh and even more so in the eighth, taking an 18-3 win over the Twins on Friday at George Dobson Field.
Two pitchers for Texarkana combined for 14 free passes (11 walks, three hit batsmen), which put the pressure on the the Twins defense throughout the evening. Five hurlers ended up issuing 22 free passes-18 walks, four hit batters-in the game.
Victoria's Jordan Hackett earned the win, working five innings and allowing three runs on seven hits. Hackett struck out three and walked two.
Kyle Rogers worked the final four innings in relief of Hackett. Rogers allowed five hits, no runs, fanned five and walked one.
The teams meet again today at 7:30 p.m. at George Dobson Field, and the Twins host the Brazos Valley Bombers on Sunday and Monday.
The Generals stranded a pair of runners in the first, but the visitors didn't let the opportunity escape in the second. After two outs, Victoria loaded the bases on three walks, and the Sam McElreath was hit by a pitch to pick up the RBI and push across a run.
Lohrengel struck out the next batter on three pitches to strand the bases juiced.
The Twins left a runner in scoring position in the first, two on in the second but took the lead in the third.
Blake Porter doubled into the left-field corner with one out to start Texarkana's rally. Johnny Gonzalez knotted the score on his stand-up RBI double down the left-field line.
Gonzalez advanced on a groundout, and following a walk to Drake Osborn, L.T. Hawkins and Nick Anderson smashed RBI hits to right and left field, respectively, the Twins taking a 3-1 lead.
Anderson beat out an infield single in the second inning for the first base hit in Twins history.
The Generals, who left two runners in scoring position in the third, answered Texarkana's rally in the top of the fourth.
Back-to-back walks started the inning, and an errant throw on a sac bunt sent a run home. Connor Stevenson's double one-hopped the wall in left-center to drive in a pair to make it 4-3.
Marshall Skinner doubled the lead for Victoria when he hammered a solo home run to left leading off the fifth.
The Generals loaded the bases for the fourth time in the game in the seventh inning on three walks. Landon Gray singled to right, and the ball was misplayed for a 2-run error to allow the bases to clear, leaving Gray at third.
Kelvin Flores' line-drive single to right made it 9-3.
Victoria, which had sent nine batters to the plate in the seventh, sent up 14 in the eighth, scoring nine to go ahead 18-3. There were six free passes, including one hit batter, singles by Darien Simms and Lachlan Mayo, and a pair of Texarkana errors.
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Victoria=010=310=490=-=18=11=0
Texarkana=003=000=000=-=3=12=4
Jordan Hackett, Kyle Rogers (6) and Landon Gray. Stanton Lohrengel, Gage Wall (4), Reid Wall (7), Nick Anderson (8), Johnny Gonzalez (9) and Drake Osborn, Axel Poesmans (8). WP-Hackett. LP-Lohrengel. HR: VIC-Marshall SKinner, 5th, none on.