The Brazos Valley Bombers welcomed the Coppell Copperheads for game two of the Texas Collegiate League Championship series to Brazos Valley Bank Ballpark Tuesday night. Both teams proved their worth, but the Copperheads edged out the Bombers taking home the 3-1 victory, the series win and the TCL title.

The Copperheads began hot offensively against Bombers’ starter Michael Hilliard, working him deep in counts and scoring two in the first inning. The Copperheads were looking to add more in the 2nd, but Bombers’ leftfielder Trey Porras made a spectacular, two-out, sliding grab to prevent any Coppell base runners from crossing the plate. Hilliard managed to settled down and cruised through the next four, finishing his outing going six innings strong, allowing only two runs on three hits while striking out eight.

The Bombers’ offense struggled mightily against Copperheads’ starting pitcher Skye Severns, who gave his squad six and two-thirds innings of flawless pitching until Bombers’ rightfielder Herb Romero came up with a clutch two-out single that brought catcher John Cannon home from second base. The run cut the Coppell lead in half, 2-1, but Copperheads’ reliever Aaron Zwar managed to wiggle out of the inning with the lead intact.

Copperheads’ catcher Joe Andrade tacked on an RBI single against Bombers’ reliever Geoff Lomax in the 7th; however Lomax did a fantastic job of mitigating the damage to only one run as the Copperheads had the runners in scoring position with only one out. Randy Mann came in for Brazos Valley in the 8th and pitched a solid inning of work, keeping the Bombers within striking distance down only 3-1.

Unfortunately, the Bombers could not scratch across two runs to extend the game, and Coppell managed to hang on and win the game, 3-1, and series, two games to none. This marks the Copperheads’ fourth championship in the Texas Collegiate League.

By making it to the TCL Championship series, the Brazos Valley Bombers finished their most successful season to date. The Bombers would like to thank their incredible fans and sponsors for their unwavering loyalty and support throughout the 2011 season. The team will gear up and get ready for next season as they look to continue their winning ways and capture the franchise’s first ever title.