Strykers: Drilled by Brazos Valley

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – In every season there are games that you’d just as soon forget about. The Woodlands Strykers suffered through such a game at home Sunday night.

The Brazos Valley Bombers scored early and often and came away with a 22-1 victory at Strykers Stadium on the campus of The Woodlands Christian Academy.

Brazos Valley banged out 17 hits off five Strykers pitchers, including position players Michael Aquino, Dan Perkins and Shaun Hoover, who threw a perfect final inning in relief. The Bombers (17-8) lead the Texas Collegiate League second half standings and have all but sewn up a playoff berth with first-half qualifiers East Texas Pump Jacks and Victoria Generals.

Conversely, the Strykers didn’t get a hit until Adrian Lopez delivered a one-out single in the fourth. Perkins, who had one of five Strykers’ hits, drove in the lone run with an RBI double in the sixth inning that scored Brian Brightwell, who singled.

Gabe Fyock and Garrett Lozano also had a hit apiece for the Strykers, who are in the midst of a playoff chase with three other teams for the fourth and final postseason berth.

College Park High School graduate Corey Toups went 1-for-3 and scored four runs for Brazos Valley. Toups is hitting .306 for the season.

The Strykers are 12-11 in the second half of the season and in the driver’s seat for the fourth and final playoff spot. But their lead is just a half-game over the Alexandria Aces (11-11), who visit Strykers Stadium for two games with playoff implications on Tuesday and Wednesday (both 7:05 p.m. starts). The Texas Marshals (8-12) and Acadiana Cane Cutters (8-13) are still in the hunt for that last postseason berth.