Bryan– The Brazos Valley Bombers defeated the Texarkana Twins in front of a packed Travis Field crowd. The Bombers did a great job of getting out to an early lead and did not let up on their way to winning the home opener.
Bombers pitching was the story tonight, with Brad Verel, John Altman, and Josh Larzabal combining for a shutout against a Twins team who just finished a series against Victoria where they scored 15 runs in two games. Starting pitcher, Brad Verel, went 6 innings of scoreless baseball for the Bombers, only allowing 6 hits and one walk, combined with 6 strikeouts. The Bombers also were strong at the plate with Sam McElreath and Dylan Bonert starting the scoring in the second inning, giving the team an early 2-0 lead. The Bombers busted the game wide open in the fifth inning when the club scored three runs against the Texarkana starter Brandon Dunkleberger. Robin Adames finished the scoring on a RBI triple in the 8th to lock the game up for the Bombers.
For Texarkana, they struggled with runners on base, leaving ten men on the base-paths during the game. Every time the Twins seemed to having an opportunity to get back into the game, the Bombers made a defensive play to end the threat. The Twins starting pitcher, Brandon Dunkleberger, also struggled on the mound, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing 7 hits, 5 runs (2 earned), and one walk. The one positive is that the Twins bullpen was able to keep the Bombers bats in check, with the only run allowed being the RBI triple by Adames.
The Bombers return to action tomorrow night for the second game against the Twins, during Teacher Appreciation Night at the ballpark. The homestand concludes with a two games series against the Victoria Generals that will include Superhero Night on Thursday and a Fireworks Spectacular on Friday night.