HOW IT HAPPENED:
After four scoreless innings, the Express finally struck for the game’s first run in the top of the fifth inning. SS Keyber Rodriguez singled and advanced to second base on a throwing error by SS Ryan Ritter. Rodriguez stole second base before scoring on a sacrifice fly by RF Trevor Hauver.
The Isotopes pushed across two runs in the bottom frame to take their first lead of the ballgame. 1B Vimael Machín started the inning with a solo home run and 3B Chad Stevens followed with a single. One batter later, C Bryant Betancourt knocked in Stevens to make it 2-1.
The E-Train stormed back for five runs in the sixth. LF Aaron Zavala and 1B Jonah Bride led off with back-to-back singles. C Cooper Johnson followed with a three-run homer to regain the Round Rock lead. The Express weren’t done in the inning as 3B Diego Castillo and 2B Theo Hardy recorded consecutive singles. Hauver knocked in Castillo with a single, advancing Hardy to third. Hardy scored on a groundout by CF John Taylor, giving the Express a 6-2 advantage.
Round Rock added an insurance run in the seventh. Back-to-back walks from Zavala and Bride set up runners on first and second. Zavala advanced to third on Johnson’s lineout, putting men on the corners with one out. Bride was caught stealing attempting to steal second base, but Zavala broke for home on the throw and scored on the play, giving the Express a five-run edge.
The Express put the game out of reach with another run in the ninth. Zavala walked before advancing to third on a balk and a passed ball. Zavala came home on a Taylor groundout to raise the E-Train tally to nine.
RHP Michel Otañez recorded the final three outs in the ninth as the Express claim the series over the Isotopes with a 9-2 victory in the series finale.
E-TRAIN EXCERPTS:
WHERE WE STAND: The Express have won 4 consecutive games, their longest streak of the season…stand in 4th place in the 2nd half of the Pacific Coast League standings, trailing 1st-place Sugar Land by 4.5 G…improve to 29-28 in road games this season…are 1 of 4 PCL clubs with a winning record on the road this season (also Las Vegas, Oklahoma City and Sacramento).
RHP SPENCER ADAMS: (W, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R-ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, HR, 60 pitches, 43 strikes) tallied his 5th appearance with the Express and his 4th start… 3 of the 5 appearances have come against the Isotopes… retired the side in the 2nd and 3rd inning… 2 ER is the lowest tally of the season… did not allow a hit until the 4th inning… 6 first-pitch strikes… bounced back from his previous three appearances against Albuquerque where he allowed 10 runs over 6.0 innings (13.50 ERA)… recorded his first win in affiliated ball since 4/18/29 with Triple-A CLT.
INF JOHN TAYLOR: laced a 104.3 mph double for the game’s first hit… 6th hardest hit base hit of the season for the infielder… also marks just his second double of the second half (since 6/23)… owns 29 H since the start of the second half with only 8 of them going for extra-bases… also has 21 RBI in that span.
OF TREVOR HAUVER: now owns a 10-game hitting streak and a 16-game on-base streak…is the fourth Express batter with a 10-game hitting streak this year (Cauley, 14 G; Kelenic, 11 G; Castillo, 11 G)...appeared in all 6 games against the Isotopes this week…went 10-for-22 with a 1.163 OPS, 7 RBI, 4 runs, 3 walks and 6 strikeouts…in July, slashing .333/.378/.455/.833, 5 2B, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 5 R, 6 BB, 21 SO in 17 games.
C COOPER JOHNSON: belted a three-run home run in the top of the 6th to regain the lead for Round Rock… the catcher has now homered against 7 of the 9 PCL (SAC and SUG) teams he has faced this season… entered today’s game with just 2 hits against Albuquerque… is now T-3rd among PCL catchers with 9 long balls on the year.
INF KEYBER RODRIGUEZ: belted his 7th home run of the season in the 8th inning… 3rd of July… 421 feet is his longest round-tripper of the season and the 101.6 mph exit velocity is his 2nd hardest-hit homer of the year (6/21 at LV- 101.9 mph)…both of his hardest-hit home runs this season have come against cutters.
NOTES: The Express have now won 3 consecutive series finales…are 9-8 in series finales this season…with home runs from C Cooper Johnson and INF Keyber Rodriguez, Round Rock ended their streak of 11 games without recording multiple homers.
NEXT GAME: Tuesday, July 28 vs Reno FIRST PITCH: 6:45 p.m. CT BALLPARK: Dell Diamond
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!