Strykers: Extend win streak to 5

KILGORE, Texas – Don’t look now, but the hottest team in Texas Collegiate League baseball is the Woodlands Strykers.

Rickey Sanchez went 2-for-4 on Wednesday and figured in all the Strykers’ runs in a 3-2 win at the league-leading East Texas Pump Jacks. It is the Strykers’ fifth consecutive win and eighth in their last 10 games. It was also their second straight win over East Texas.

Richard Bautista (1-0) got in line with the growing list of strong starts from the Strykers’ pitching staff. In his first start with the Strykers, Bautista went seven innings on Wednesday scattering six hits while striking out six and walking just one. He gave up only one run and it was unearned.

Bautista lowered his ERA to 0.77 over 11 2/3 innings this season.

He got outstanding relief help from Nolan Riggs, who closed it out with two innings of work to record his first save of the season. Riggs yielded a run on one hit in earning just the third save this season by Strykers’ pitching.

Sanchez ripped an RBI double scoring Gabe Fyock, who opened the fourth inning with a single. It tied the game and Sanchez put the Strykers ahead 2-1 later in the inning by scoring on an RBI single from Brian Brightwell.

Sanchez made it 3-1 Strykers in the eighth inning with a triple, again chasing home Fyock, who drew a one-out walk.

East Texas got that run back in their half of the eighth inning before Riggs slammed the door in the ninth.

Adrian Lopez and Shaun Hoover rounded out the Strykers’ six-hit attack with one apiece.

The Strykers visit the Brazos Valley Bombers on Thursday before returning home for a five-game stand beginning Friday night with the Acadiana Cane Cutters. East Texas visits on Saturday, and Brazos Valley on Sunday.

The Strykers close out their longest and final homestand of the season with Alexandria for games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

All games begin at 7:05 p.m.