It was another thrilling night around the Texas Collegiate League on Thursday as fans were treated to extra-inning drama, offensive fireworks, and outstanding pitching performances. San Antonio rallied for a dramatic walk-off victory, Victoria bounced back in a big way against Sherman, Brazos Valley held off a furious Lake Charles comeback, and Baton Rouge completed a two-game sweep of Abilene behind another stellar pitching effort.
River Monsters 5, Cane Cutters 4 (10 Innings)
The San Antonio River Monsters earned one of their biggest wins of the season, walking off the Acadiana Cane Cutters 5-4 in 10 innings after erasing a late deficit.
Acadiana jumped ahead with a three-run second inning before adding another run in the fifth to take a 4-2 advantage. Connor Stelly collected two hits and an RBI, while Braylin Harris and Ethan Espricueta also drove in runs for the Cane Cutters.
San Antonio refused to go away. Sammy Morales blasted a game-tying solo home run in the eighth inning before the River Monsters completed the comeback in the 10th. Hunter Ham led the offense with three hits and two RBIs, while Morales finished with two hits, including the clutch homer. Roman Trinidad added an RBI double, and Eric Bacon chipped in an RBI.
MJ Espinoza was outstanding out of the bullpen, tossing four scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out four to earn the win.
Victoria Generals 12, Sherman Shadowcats 7
After being routed the night before, the Victoria Generals responded in emphatic fashion by scoring nine runs in the first two innings on their way to a 12-7 victory over the Sherman Shadowcats.
Jeter Battles powered the offense with a three-hit night that included a three-run homer and four RBIs. Austin Marlin added two hits and two RBIs, while Bryce Speakman delivered three RBIs of his own. Jace Martinez scored three runs and stole three bases as Victoria continually pressured Sherman on the bases.
Sherman mounted a late rally with four runs in the ninth. Noah Tart drove in two runs and scored three times, Ian McCracken added two RBIs, and Zach Fjelstad collected three hits, including a double and triple, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
Parker McGrael picked up the victory in relief after Victoria's offense built an early cushion.
Brazos Valley Bombers 10, Lake Charles Gumbeaux Gators 8
The Brazos Valley Bombers built an early lead, survived a late rally, and defeated the Lake Charles Gumbeaux Gators 10-8 in one of the night's highest-scoring contests.
The Bombers scored five runs over the first three innings before adding three more in the eighth to answer Lake Charles' comeback attempt.
Derrick Mitchell was nearly unstoppable, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs and two doubles. Joey Duran collected three hits and drove in two runs, while Tanner Cooper and Tobias Motley each homered and finished with two RBIs.
Lake Charles battled back with five runs in the eighth inning behind multi-hit performances from Ayden Sunday, Reid Snider, Jake Smith, and James Reina. Sunday drove in two runs while Reina and Andrew Ramos also contributed RBIs.
Lane Schulz closed out the final two innings to secure the victory despite the late offensive surge by the Gumbeaux Gators.
Baton Rouge Rougarou 4, Abilene Flying Bison 1
The Baton Rouge Rougarou completed a two-game sweep of Abilene by making the most of limited offense and another dominant pitching performance.
Despite collecting just three hits, Baton Rouge scored all four of its runs in the opening inning thanks to patient at-bats that produced nine walks, combined with timely execution. Hayes Hebert and Jesse Lord each drove in runs, while Trip Dobson added an RBI on a sacrifice fly.
Larson Fabre set the tone on the mound, allowing just one run over six innings while scattering three hits. Jake Clifton followed with two scoreless innings before John Wade closed the door with his second save of the season.
Abilene managed six hits but stranded ten runners and could not recover after the first inning, dropping its second straight game to the Rougarou.