Generals Walk Off Bombers to Clinch Championship Berth

The Victoria Generals are headed to the Texas Collegiate League Championship after a dramatic 7-5 walk-off victory over the Brazos Valley Bombers in Game 3 of their semifinal series Thursday night.

After building an early 5-0 advantage, the Generals withstood a furious Brazos Valley comeback before Roman Cariaga delivered the decisive blow in the bottom of the ninth, launching a two-run walk-off home run to send Victoria to the TCL Championship Game.

Victoria wasted little time taking control of the winner-take-all contest. The Generals plated two runs in the first inning before adding single runs in the second, third and fourth to build a comfortable five-run cushion. Juan Cantua opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the first before Lucas Wilson added an RBI single in the third. Beck Zimmerman also contributed an RBI single, while Roman Cariaga drove in a pair with an RBI double during the early offensive surge.

Brazos Valley refused to go quietly.

The Bombers finally broke through in the sixth inning, scoring twice behind RBI hits from Gage Kooyers and Jacob Bohacek. They added another run in the seventh on Tyson Brooks' RBI groundout before pulling even closer in the eighth as Bohacek and Reese Lunsford each drove in runs to trim the deficit to 5-5.

With the momentum seemingly shifting to the Bombers, Victoria had one final answer.

Following a leadoff baserunner in the bottom of the ninth, Cariaga crushed a two-run homer to left field, touching off the celebration as the Generals secured their place in the TCL Championship.

Cariaga finished with a monster performance, going 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, the game-winning home run, and three RBIs. Juan Cantua added two RBIs, while Brock DeYoung scored twice and Keegan Demmer collected two hits for Victoria's 10-hit attack.

Alex Renfrow earned the win after allowing just three hits over 4.1 scoreless innings while striking out four. Victoria used four relievers before Clark Scallon recorded the final four outs, setting the stage for the walk-off victory.

Brazos Valley collected nine hits in the loss, led by three-hit performances from Kason Atkins and Blaine Lucas. Jacob Bohacek finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs, while Gage Kooyers added an RBI. The Bombers also showed patience at the plate, drawing seven walks and stealing five bases, but couldn't overcome Victoria's fast start.

With the victory, the No. 1 seed Generals advance to the Texas Collegiate League Championship Game, where they will host the Lake Charles Gumbeaux Gators in a winner-take-all showdown for the 2026 TCL title.