For Immediate Release
RE: Generals sweep Copperheads
(Victoria, Tx) With the end of the regular season near, and the post season tournament looming, The Coppell Copperheads have made a charge to assure their participation in the tournament. The Victoria Generals clinched the regular season championship award on Wednesday night and then clinched the #1 seed Thursday night, both at the expense of the Copperheads who had won 4 in a row, and eight of their last 10. The Generals completed the sweep 10-5 at Riverside Stadium.
Tyler King (5-2) threw 5 innings for head coach Chris Clemons, allowing 3 runs and striking out six. Garret Steward posted zeroes in the first three innings of relief but allowed two meaningless runs in the ninth as the Generals upped their record to 28-14. King is tied for second in the league with five wins, fourth in innings pitched, and is third with 55 strikeouts. King finishes the regular season with a 2.98 era. Steward lowered his era to 1.91.
The Generals came to bat in the bottom of the first, down two, but when the inning finally ended they had plated 7 runs and never looked back. James Hipp started things with a walk, Joey Kenworthy singled and Mark Hudson greated the Coppell starter, Brandon Parent with a double down the right field line. Then Mike Davis singled home a run and Brian Nephew delivered a sac fly to deep center. Kenny Jackson walked, Andrew Moore doubled and Chris Whitehead reached on one of the Copperhead's 10 errors on the night. Catcher Drew Kimball singled and that was it for Parent as Jarrod Stafford came in to quell the Generals league-leading offense. Another error and single by Kenworthy ended the scoring for Victoria in the first but, they added runs in the 4th, 6th and eighth innings.
Hudson extended his league leading batting average to .379 with 3 doubles on the night, Mike Davis picked up two more rbi and Kenworthy stayed hot at the plate with two hits on the evening.
The defensive highlight of the evening came in the top of the fifth when Coppell had two on and two out. Heath Johnson drove one to deep left field which was caught just as it was leaving the park by a tall, leaping Andrew Moore.
The Brazos Valley Bombers come to Victoria Friday night for a two game homestand which ends the regular season. First pitch is slated for 7:05.
The post season tournament begins on Monday with the Generals hosting the #4 seed which is Brazos Valley at the moment.
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