Danton, Stubblefield team up for win

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Woodlands Strykers head coach John Villarreal employed his top two pitchers to open a four-game homestand on Tuesday. The result was a nail-biting 5-4 win over the Texas Marshals.

The teams wrap up a two-game series at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at Strykers Stadium on the campus of The Woodlands Christian Academy. It will be a BOGO Wednesday at the ballpark - buy one hotdog, popcorn or general admission ticket and get one free.

Conner Fikes raced home on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to score the winning run on Tuesday and give the Strykers their sixth win in the last seven games.

The Strykers scored four runs in the seventh inning to erase a 3-0 deficit and broke a 4-4 tie without the benefit of a base hit. Fikes drew a one-out walk, stole second and moved to third on an error before scoring the game-winner.

Strykers ace Matt Danton (4-1, 2.38) went eight innings scattering 10 hits. The Willis High School graduate yielded four earned runs, the most in his eight starts this season. He struck out four and walked only one.

The Strykers have won three straight and five of the last six games in which Danton was the starting pitcher.

He didn’t get the win on Tuesday, but closer Gandy Stubblefield did. The Lufkin grad and Texas A&M pitcher worked the ninth inning, striking out the side while yielding a hit and one walk. He improved to 2-1 for the season while making his team-high 16th appearance and dropped his ERA to 2.84.

Stubblefield has seven saves.

The Strykers took the lead in the seventh inning when Bobby Schuman and later Zach Davis scored on passed balls and both Fikes and Dalton Perry scored on an error.

Ricky Sanchez collected two of the Strykers’ seven hits. Five others added one apiece.

It may be a little too early to start scoreboard watching, but with 15 games remaining on the schedule, the Strykers, 7-8 in the Texas Collegiate League second-half standings, are a half-game behind the East Texas Pump Jacks (7-7) for the fourth and final playoff berth. East Texas comes to town for key games on Thursday and Friday (both 7:05 p.m. starts).

It’ll be Dollar Thursday with $1 hot dogs and drinks and Family Friday with free kids admission and postgame autographs).

There is another special promotion. Friday is also Cancer Awareness Night. The team will be selling special pink wristbands for $5 with half of the proceeds donated to the American Cancer Society.