HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Express jumped out to an early lead with a four-run first inning. CF Jarred Kelenic opened the game by swinging at the first pitch and legging out a triple before scoring on a single from 3B John Taylor. LF Jonah Bride followed with a base hit to put runners on first and second, and RF Aaron Zavala kept the inning rolling with an RBI double that plated Taylor while leaving runners on second and third. Bride and Zavala later scored when 2B Chad Stevens committed a throwing error on the play, giving the E-Train a 4-0 advantage after one.
The E-Train added two more runs in the second after C Julian Brock singled and Kelenic doubled to put runners at second and third. Taylor recorded his second RBI and advanced Kelenic to third, who scored when 2B Josh Smith grounded into a double play.
After Hauver started the fifth inning with a single, DH Diego Castillo belted a two-run home run to extend the lead to eight.
The Express continued the offense in the seventh. Brock doubled and Kelenic followed with a single before Taylor drove in Brock with his third RBI of the day. Smith was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Bride and SS Keyber Rodriguez both drove in a pair of runs to grow the advantage to 13-0.
Round Rock added another run in the 8th after Taylor drove in Kelenic for his fourth RBI single of the game.
The Isotopes broke the shutout bid with a run in the bottom of the eighth. SS Richie Martin reached on a throwing error by Rodriguez and CF Drew Avans followed with a single. DH Brenton Doyle drove in Martin with a single, scoring Albuquerque’s first run of the game.
RHP Austin Roberts secured the victory in the ninth inning as the Express take a 14-1 victory over the Isotopes on Thursday afternoon.
E-TRAIN EXCERPTS:
WHERE WE STAND: The Express avoid dropping to 14 G under .500 for the first time this season… have not lost 3 straight in ABQ since 7/9-11/21 when the E-Train lost the final 5 games of the series… 2-3 in their last 5 and 4-6 in last 10 G… own the 2nd best road record in the PCL to start the Second Half (LV, 10-5)… are now 6-3 when scoring 10+ runs… 5-3 on the road this season in those contests.
RHP JOE ROSS: (ND, 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 18 pitches, 14 strikes) made his first start as a member of the Express and his 2nd of the season (4/28 w/ RNO vs SUG)… 113 of his 145 appearances in the minor leagues have been as a starter… recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end his start… went to his curveball 33% of the time (6 pitches)… generated a 100% whiff rate (3) with the breaking ball…needed just five pitches to get through the first inning… has faced the Isotopes two previous times this season, both out of the bullpen… tossed 2.2 innings, allowing 4 H and 2R-ER with a walk… entering today, the right-hander has held Topes’ hitters to a 78.9 mph average exit velocity which is the lowest among PCL teams this season.
OF JARRED KELENIC: tallied his 3rd consecutive multi-hit game and his 2nd 4-hit game with the Express (also 7/8 at RNO)…is batting .600 (9-15) with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 6 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout and 1 stolen base through the 1st 3 games of the series in Albuquerque…in 14 games this month, owns a .404/.469/.684/1.153 slash line with 8 doubles, a triple, 2 homers and 6 RBI.
INF JOHN TAYLOR: posted RBI singles in the 1st, 2nd,7th and 8th innings…has recorded multiple hits in 4 consecutive games, the longest streak by an Express batter this season…has not tallied an extra-base hit or struck out during the streak…8th multi-RBI game since joining the E-Train on 5/29.
INF DIEGO CASTILLO: launched his third home run of the season in the 5th inning… all have come in the 4th inning or later… 2 of the 3 round-trippers have come on the road…is the 5th Round Rock batter this month with multiple homers… T-season-high 4 RBI (Also 6/3 at OKC)… 13th multi-RBI game of the year.
FIRST INNING: The Express struck for 4 runs in the first on Thursday afternoon, marking the 7th game in July and 31st contest this season the E-Train have scored runs in the first…17-14 in those games… 4 runs in the inning is the 3rd most in the frame on the season (5- 7/10 at RNO, 6-6/16 at LV)… Round Rock owns a .308 batting average in away games during the 1st inning, which is the 2nd highest average among PCL clubs (.312 ABQ).
RHP MARC CHURCH: (W, 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 16 pitches, 10 strikes) was the first man out of the bullpen in today’s afternoon game… 2nd consecutive scoreless outing since returning to the Express on 7/17… generated lone strikeout with his slider… hasn’t allowed a run through his last 6 appearances (since 5/12), tossing 6.2 scoreless innings while striking out 8 batters and allowing five hits… has struck out at least one batter in 5 of those 6 appearances.
NOTES: The Express entered today’s game scoring just 6 runs through the first 2 contests of the series in Albuquerque… tied for the lowest number of runs scored through the first 2 games of a series this season (Also GWN 3/31-4/1 and SL 5/26/27)… the E-Train have now scored 10+ runs in 14 G at Isotopes Park since the start of the 2021 season… are 14-0 in those games… C JULIAN BROCK recorded his first career Triple-A base hit with a single in the top of the 2nd.
NEXT GAME: Friday, July 24 at Albuquerque FIRST PITCH: 6:35 p.m. MT BALLPARK: Isotopes Park
For more information about the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Subscribe to the E-Train email newsletter and keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and X!