Runs came early and often Friday night at Riverside Stadium for the Victoria Generals. They cruised to a 12-1 victory over the Acadiana Cane Cutters and earned a two-game home sweep in Texas Collegiate League play.

The Generals improved to 26-12 and sit in first place in the Texas Division of the TCL, five games ahead of Brazos Valley. Acadiana fell to 19-20 and sits in second place in the Louisiana Division, 11 games behind Baton Rouge.

Victoria put together a three-run rally in the bottom of the first inning with the benefit of only one hit. Designated hitter Colin Cymbalista stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Acadiana pitcher Colt Lejeune unleashed a wild pitch, and Victoria lead runner Damien Whitfield scored easily from third. In the same at-bat, Cymbalista singled to left center to drive in Caleb Cotton from third.

The Generals had men on the corners with still only one out in the inning when a passed ball allowed Cole Tabor to score from third. Ahead 3-0, a Cotton sacrifice fly to left center in the following frame added to Victoria’s early lead to push it to 4-0.

Later in the second inning, some base-running trickery netted Victoria’s fifth unanswered run. Shortstop Diego Diaz sat at first base and Whitfield was stationed at third. Diaz bolted for second and the throw from the catcher was too late to get Diaz.

On the throw, Whitfield charged home. He slid in under an attempted tag from the catcher to pull off the double steal. Diaz took third on the throw home, but later in the at-bat, was tagged out at home trying to advance on a passed ball. Victoria led 5-0.

Three straight doubles by Tarbor, Cymbalista, and outfielder Travis Bragg to leadoff the third inning pushed Victoria’s lead to 7-0. The Generals posted four runs in the third, one more in the fourth, and two in the fifth. Heading into the sixth, Victoria’s lead ballooned to 12-0. Acadiana posted a single run in the eighth to conclude the evening’s scoring.

The Generals collected nine hits, while Acadiana managed only two. Bragg went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.

Victoria starting pitcher Hayden Tronson (2-1) enjoyed his finest outing of the season. He pitched seven innings of shutout baseball, allowed only one hit and tallied eight strikeouts with only one walk. He credited the momentum he gained toward the end of his previous start as a factor in his performance Friday.

“Last outing, I gave up six (earned runs) through four innings, but they let me battle through to six and two-thirds. I found really good stuff with the changeup and really relied on that tonight,” Tronson said. “It just came easy tonight, but I guarantee you, I’m going to have to work hard.”

Victoria’s winning pitcher also credited his team’s consistent offensive output.

“These guys are relentless. They are the most savvy baseball players I’ve ever played with,” Tronson said.

Victoria will hit the road again and will open a two-game weekend series at Brazos Valley beginning Saturday at 7 p.m.

Robert Brewer is a sports reporter for the Victoria Advocate. He can be reached at robert.brewer@vicad.com.