Texas Collegiate League

Seth Granger knocked in three and Jordan Hershiser picked up his first win as the first-place Pump Jacks topped the Alexandria Aces 7-1

Reigning Texas Collegiate League Player of the Week Seth Granger is showing the league exactly why he picked up that honor last week.

And he’s playing like he wants to keep that title for another week.

The McNeese State junior went 2-for-4 with three RBI Friday night as the red-hot Pump Jacks continue to roll through the TCL with a 7-1 win over the Alexandria Aces. With the RBI outburst, Granger took sole possession of first place in the league with 30 runs knocked in this summer.

The Pump Jacks move to 30-12 on the season and are 11-2 in the second half of the season after clinching the division title in the first half. The win is the fifth straight and the 11th in the past 12 for East Texas, who jumped to #10 in the national summer collegiate poll issued by Perfect Game.

While the bats continued to deliver, the Pump Jacks bullpen didn’t skip a beat either, giving up only four combined hits to Alexandria.

Jordan Hershiser picked up his first win of the season, tossing two shutout innings. The 6-foot 8 junior sat down all six batters he faced in order, striking out one. Pump Jacks starter Brad Fisher struck out five and allowed the Aces’ only run on one hit in three strong innings. James Hudelson and Brett Higginbotham each tossed two scoreless innings to shut down the Aces.

Kirby Pellant knocked in a run and scored two himself, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Tyler Girouard pushed his hit streak to 12 games with a double. The University of Louisiana-Lafayette infielder has seen his batting average surge to .295 as of late and is showing no signs of cooling off. Jace Statum, Ty Marlow and Ryan Moore each posted a hit and scored a run to round out the Jacks' offensive attack.

While leading the Jacks at the plate, Pellant and Granger also blazed a trail on the bases. Granger stole a season-high three bases. Pellant swiped one, giving him 20 on the season, good enough for second in the TCL.

The Aces jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Beau Faulk led off with a double and scored on back-to-back sacrifice bunts. The Jacks, who are now 9-0 against the Aces this season, didn’t let them enjoy the lead for long.

Statum and Pellant led off the top half of the third with back-to-back singes. The speedy duo scored easily on a Granger single, giving him his first two RBI of the contest. Marlow drew a walk, advancing Granger to third. The Iowa, La. native then stole second and scored on a sacrifice fly from Beau Maggi, giving the Jacks a 3-1 lead.

The Jacks added two more in the fifth to extend the lead to 5-1. Granger drove in another run with a single, then Marlow scored on an error by the Aces shortstop.

Costly miscues by the Aces in the sixth inning allowed the Jacks to add two more runs. Michael Sullivan reached on a dropped third strike then later scored on an error on the Aces pitcher. Moore showed off his speed again, scoring on a double play ball to give the Jacks a 7-1 lead that proved to be the final margin of victory.

The Jacks square off with the Aces again on Saturday night in Alexandria.

East Texas welcomes a day off Sunday before heading to Coppell on Monday to kick off a two-game series with the Copperheads.

The Bombers return to town on July 27 for Winning Inning Wednesday presented by Jack in the Box. If the Pump Jacks score three or more runs in any innings, every fan will go home with a coupon for a free item from Jack in the Box.

The two-game set will then wrap up with Thirsty Thursday. Fans can beat the East Texas heat with $1 draft beers, $3 frozen margaritas and 50-cent soft drinks all night long.

To follow all the news and to watch every pitch of the 2011 season, visit the Pump Jacks official web site at www.pumpjacksbaseball.com. Interact with other Pump Jacks fans and enjoy special promotions and polls by visiting the Pump Jacks on Facebook and Twitter.