The Brazos Valley Bombers opened a road trip in which they will face both division leaders by dropping a decision to the McKinney Marshals, 5-1.

McKinney, the defending TCL champions and current Rogers Hornsby Division leaders, took control of the game in the middle innings, scoring single runs in the fourth and fifth innings and a pair in the sixth. All four runs were charged to Bombers starter Clint Helms (0-2), who pitched six innings and gave up seven hits.

The Bombers scored their lone run in the top of the sixth, when Mark McGonigle cracked a solo home run. It was the right fielder’s first homer of the season. The only other hits registered by the Bombers were off the bat of Keith Stein, who posted a pair of singles to go 2-for-3.

Bombers newcomer John Touchton, who just joined the club after his freshman season at the University of Houston, pitched a scoreless seventh. The Marshals added an insurance run in the eighth off of Brice Ary.

The Bombers now begin an important three-game stretch against, all of them against the Coppell Copperheads. On Saturday night, the B’s make their first ever visit to Coppell, which leads the Tris Speaker division and held a two-game lead over the Bombers entering tonight’s play. The scenario then switches on Monday and Tuesday night to Brazos Valley Bank Ballpark for the Copperheads first visit to the Brazos Valley. Monday also marks the first visit of the season by Reggy, a travelling mascot entertainer who is the biggest, baddest, purplest party dude on the planet! He’ll be rocking the park and having fun with all the Bombers fans throughout Monday night, presented by KBTX-TV Channel 3. Both Monday and Tuesday are also Bombers College Nights, when students who show their college ID get a ticket for just one dollar, sponsored by Aggie 96.