The Coppell Copperheads were crowned Texas Collegiate League Champions Friday after they defeated the Victoria Generals 13-11. With the win, the Copperheads swept the series 2-0 and won their third TCL Championship since the league’s inception in 2004.
The Copperheads seemed to be running away with the game as they built a 13-5 lead on the first-place Generals. Matt Curry homered twice and Austin Goolsby homered once, with each driving in five runs apiece for Coppell.
The Generals made things interesting in the bottom of the eighth, scoring six runs to cut the lead down to 13-11. Coppell then inserted Jared Stafford, who had collected the save the night before to stem the tide. Stafford did just that, striking out three of the five batters he retired to save the game for the Copperheads..
After starting out the season 2-11 and fixated in last place, the Copperheads began a massive resurgence. Winning 19 of their next 34, Coppell moved ahead of Brazos Valley to claim third place for the all-important playoffs. From there, the Copperheads were perfect, winning all four games to claim the TCL Championship.