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Avalos comes through again, as Generals thrillingly walk-off Acadiana 4-3: stay undefeated at home

June 6, 2024 – The Victoria Generals, for three straight home games, were unequivocally dominant, outsourcing their opponents by a decisive 28-6 in that span. However on Friday night, in a back-and-forth classic, the Generals still found a way at the end of the day, as they mustered a 4-3 walk-off win over the Acadiana Cane Cutters to split their four-game series. The victory puts Victoria back over .500 at 4-3 on the young 2024 season, while Acadiana, with back-to-back defeats, fall to 5-3.

As he has throughout the young season, the hero who came through in the 9th for the Generals was Freshman SS Anthony Avalos (Univ. Houston) with his game-winning RBI single with the bases loaded against Cane Cutters’ reliever, RHP Carson Fair (Pearl River Community College). The Cougar, who played in just 13 games in his first spring season of college ball, has continued to step up time and time again for Victoria as Avalos’s 1 for 3 night on Friday improved him to a batting average of .348 to begin the season along with 8 RBIs in the team’s first seven games of the summer. His 4 for 13 week of play, including 4 RBIs so far, will undoubtedly be considered for Texas Collegiate League Player of the Week when it is announced on Monday night.

Other offensive contributors for the Generals in their walk-off victory Friday included DH Travis Bragg (Vernon College). Bragg played a crucial role in the contest, tying the ballgame at 2 for Victoria with a massive 2 RBI double in the 6th inning, which ignited the Generals offense. His performance, going 3 for 5 to begin the summer, was instrumental in the team's victory.

As for the pitching, it was LHP Ben Polleschultz’s (Blinn Community College) night from the start, as his six-plus innings pitched was easily the longest outing for any starter for Head Coach Michael Oros in 2024, as he gave up four hits, three earned runs, two walks, and collected six punchouts in the valiant effort. The bullpen also came through hugely for Victoria as RHP Sam Simmons (Panola College) and RHP Kendall Dove (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) collectively were brilliant, allowing just one baserunner and striking out four in innings 7-9. 

The Generals now will look to carry their red-hot momentum into this weekend, as for the first time in franchise history, they will play a game, let alone a series, in Southwest Louisiana when they take on the newest TCL franchise: the expansion Lake Charles Gumbeaux Gators. Both games will take place on Saturday, June 8th, and Sunday, June 9th, on the campus of Barbe High School in Lake Charles, LA, with the first pitch for both contests scheduled for 7:05 p.m.