Strykers: Fall 2-1 at McKinney

MCKINNEY, Texas – The Woodlands Strykers fell victims to an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday in a 2-1 loss to the McKinney Marshals.

The Marshals (4-17) won for the second straight time while sending the Strykers (6-16) down to their third consecutive loss in a battle of the bottom two teams in the Texas Collegiate League standings.

The Strykers close out a quick two-game road trip at 7:05 p.m. Thursday when they visit the league-leading East Texas Pump Jacks (18-4). The Strykers are idle Friday before returning home for a 5 p.m. Saturday doubleheader with the Acadiana Cane Cutters.

Strykers left fielder Michael Aquino (2-for-4) produced two of his team’s five hits and raised his batting average to .349 for the season, which ranks seventh in the league.

Carter Burgess singled to open the second inning and scored the game’s first run. A Travis Winnon single put Burgess in scoring position and the Strykers’ shortstop scored on a grounder off the bat of Adrian Lopez.

Ricardo Sanchez collected the Strykers’ only other hit.

McKinney tied it with a run in the third off Strykers’ starter Taylor Holt. It was the only run allowed by Holt, who was making his second start of the season. The righty went 5 1/3 innings scattering six hits while striking out four and walking only one.

Brady Rodriguez, making his eighth appearance of the season, worked 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. He struck out two, walked one, and yielded just two hits.

Derek Wade (1-1) was tagged with the loss in his shortest of nine stints this season. Wade went just 1/3 of an inning and only allowed one hit.