HOW IT HAPPENED:
DH Logan O’Hoppe provided the game’s first run in the first inning with an RBI double, scoring 2B Cody Freeman, who doubled earlier in the inning.
The Express added another run in the second after 1B Diego Castillo tripled, then came around to score on a sacrifice fly from RF Trevor Hauver.
In the third, C Danny Jansen singled to bring O’Hoppe to the plate. O’Hoppe went after the first pitch he saw and launched a two-run home run to grow the E-Train advantage to four.
Sugar Land responded in the fourth, cutting the deficit to one with a three-run home run by 1B C.J. Alexander.
The Space Cowboys claimed their first lead of the game in the fifth. C César Salazar singled and scored on 2B Cavan Biggio’s triple to tie the game at four. Biggio scored when SS Pascanel Ferreras doubled. The visitors held a 5-4 edge entering the sixth inning.
The E-Train regained the lead after back-to-back home runs by LF Aaron Zavala and Castillo in the sixth.
Sugar Land got a run back after Ferreras reached via catcher’s interference and scored on a double from Alexander. The score was 7-6 with three innings left to play.
In the top of the ninth, the Space Cowboys loaded the bases for pinch-hitter Trenton Brooks. Brooks worked a walk, scoring the tying run from third and forcing the game into extra innings.
Sugar Land’s ghost runner DH Collin Price advanced to third on a fielding error from Zavala before scoring on a sacrifice fly. The Space Cowboys held a 8-7 edge.
Freeman started the inning as the ghost runner at second base and Brock worked a walk. O’Hoppe laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners at second and third with one out. 3B John Taylor ripped a single back up the middle, scoring both runners to give the Express a 9-8 walk-off victory.
E-TRAIN EXCERPTS:
WHERE WE STAND: With a win on Tuesday night, the Express are now 11-10 in series openers and 7-3 in extra innings (3-2 at home)…now trail Sugar Land by 3.0 G in the Pacific Coast League standings…have won 7 of their last 10, 12 of their last 16 and 14 of their last 20 games…are 11-5 at Dell Diamond in the 2nd half after going 12-24 at home in the 1st half.
RHP TREY SUPAK: (ND, 4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R-ER, 5 SO, 1 BB, 1 HR, 79 pitches, 55 strikes) …. made his 3rd start of the season against the Space Cowboys and his 7th against SUG in his career (6 w/ RR and 1 w/ LV)… retired the side in order in the 1st and 3rd inning… threw 17 1st pitch strikes to 23 batters faced… became the 3rd Round Rock pitcher this year to allow 10 or more home runs (Also former teammates RHP J. Stephan and RHP N. Kingham) this season… received the Opening Day nod at SUG and took the ball in the 1st game of a doubleheader on 4/25 where he also picked up his 1st win of the season.
DH LOGAN O’HOPPE: finished Tuesday night with 2 H… 2nd multi-hit game (Also, 8/5 at SAC) since joining the Express on 8/1…3rd multi-RBI game… Express are 2-1 when O’Hoppe records multiple RBIs in a game… went after the 1st pitch he saw for both of his hits… 1st home run with Round Rock and his 5th of the season… last homered on 6/19 at ATH while with LAA… 3rd round-tripper this season over 400 feet… 1st Triple-A home run this season (11 G- 9 w/ RR and 2 w/ SL)… his 108.9 mph double in the 1st was his hardest hit base hit as a member of the E-Train…owns a 6-game hitting streak, slashing .375/.464/.708 with 5 doubles, a home run and 8 RBI since the streak began on 8/5.
INF DIEGO CASTILLO: posted his 11th 3-hit game and 27th multi-hit game this season…finished a double shy of the cycle…has now hit safely in 6 straight and 7 of 8 games this month with a .371/.389/.600 slash line.
STARTING PITCHERS: Round Rock starting pitchers have now gone 6 consecutive games without walking more than 1 batter…since the 2nd half began on 6/23, Express starters have issued just 47 walks, which ranks 1st in the Pacific Coast League…their 2.47 K/BB ratio (116 SO/47 BB) in that span ranks 2nd.
COMEBACK KIDS: The Express won in walk-off fashion for the 3rd consecutive time at Dell Diamond… walked it off in the series finale on 8/2 vs RNO with OF Orlando Martinez’s single… OF Jarred Kelenic launched a two-run walk-off home run on 8/1 in the 11th inning for the win… marks the 6th walk-off victory this season for the Express with 3 of those wins coming in August.
NOTES: Round Rock hit back-to-back home runs in the 6th inning to regain the lead… marks the 3rd time this season the Express have hit back-to-back homers and the 1st time since 6/21 at LV… are 2-1 in those contests…Round Rock hit 2 home runs tonight on the 1st pitch of the at-bat… entering tonight’s game the E-Train owned a PCL-low 15 home runs when going after the 1st pitch… last home run that was on the 1st pitch of the at-bat was OF Jarred Kelenic’s walk-off home run in the 11th inning on 8/1 vs RNO… just the 3rd time this season Round Rock has hit 3 HR in a game… 2nd time this month (8/5 at SAC).
NEXT GAME: Wednesday, August 12 vs Sugar Land 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!