MIDLAND On a night made for home runs, Collin Theroux hit the one the Midland RockHounds needed.
Theroux, who entered the game in the sixth inning as a defensive replacement, connected off David Bednar in the seventh and the RockHounds added two more runs in the eighth to close out their first homestand Wednesday with a 4-1 victory at Security Bank Ballpark.
“It was awesome,” Theroux said. “Obviously, it was a big moment and it kind of kept us going a little bit. We got a little bit of a cushion later, but it was definitely nice to be a part of the go-ahead part of it.”
The game began with 27-mile per hour winds blowing out, but Midland pitchers Logan Verrett, Grant Holmes and Kyle Finnegan combined for 14 strikeouts to keep Amarillo’s offense under wraps.
Verrett worked five innings, giving up a run on five hits while striking out six.
Holmes (1-1) worked three innings of one-hit relief for the win, striking out five.
Finnegan worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth for his second save as the RockHounds completed a sweep of the three-game series.
“They did a great job pitching tonight,” RockHounds manager Scott Steinmann said. “It was awesome just watching them pitch, especially in those conditions.”
Amarillo’s Peter Van Gansen homered off Verrett with one out in the third. Midland tied it in the fifth when Greg Deichmann reached on an error to drive in Edwin Diaz, who led off the inning with a single and finished 2 for 3.
After Theroux put the RockHounds in front with a towering shot that cleared the visitors bullpen in the left-field corner, Kevin Merrell drove in two runs in the eighth on a popup that dropped untouched between Amarillo left fielder Nate Easley and center fielder Buddy Reed for a double.
Bednar (0-3) was charged with three runs on three hits over two innings.
In the ninth, Amarillo’s Brad Zunica reached on an error to lead off and Luis Torrens singled. With one out, Edward Oliveras reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. Finnegan struck out Van Gansen and Easley to end it.
Van Gansen and Owen Miller both went 2 for 4 for Amarillo.
The RockHounds open a three-game series at Frisco on Thursday, starting at 6 p.m. with the completion of a suspended game from April 7. The regularly scheduled game will begin 30 minutes following the conclusion of the suspended game.
