PCL1 Iowa Cubs

Express Come Back to Beat I-Cubs, 6-5

April 14, 2012 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Iowa Cubs News Release


Round Rock, TX - The Round Rock Express (3-7) came back from three different deficits and beat the Iowa Cubs (6-4) 6-5 at Dell Diamond tonight. The loss snapped the Cubs' three-game winning streak and a six-game losing streak for the Express. This series is now tied 1-1 and the season series is 3-3.

The Cubs scored first in the top of the second inning. Luis Valbuena led off with a single and went to third on a base hit by Dave Sappelt. Valbuena scored as Adrian Cardenas grounded into a double play that was started on a diving stop by Luis Hernandez at second base. It was one of four double plays for the Express on defense tonight.

The Express came back in the bottom of the third. Matt Kata led off with a solo home run off Cubs' starter Travis Wood to tie the game. With two outs, Julio Borbon kept the inning alive with a bunt single. Hernandez and Leonys Martin followed with singles of their own to bring in Borbon and give the Express a 2-1 lead.

The Cubs came right back in the top of the fourth inning. Valbuena walked, Cardenas singled, and both scored on a double off the wall in left by Josh Vitters to put the Cubs ahead 3-2. The Express tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Borbon singled with the bases loaded to drive in Brad Nelson, but Tony Campana threw out Joey Butler at the plate to end the inning.

Leading off the top of the fifth inning, Brett Jackson got a ball up into the wind that carried over the wall in left for an opposite field home run that put the Cubs ahead 4-3. The wind was blowing out to left in excess of 20 miles per hour throughout the entire game. Jackson has homered in consecutive games in this series.

Express' starter Zach Jackson came out after five innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits. The Cubs added a run to their lead off reliever Tyler Tufts in the seventh inning. Campana led off with a single, stole second, went to third on a balk, and scored on a single by Welington Castillo. It was Castillo's third hit of the game.

Nate Robertson followed Wood to the mound and pitched a scoreless sixth inning, but couldn't get through the seventh. Martin led off the inning with a wind-blown homer of his own, cutting the Cubs' lead to 5-4. After two groundouts, Butler walked and scored on a double by Kata to tie the game at five. Luis Martinez drove in Kata with a base hit that put the Express up by one and chased Robertson from the game. Manny Corpas came in and struck out Greg Miclat to end the inning. Corpas also pitched a scoreless eighth.

The Express bullpen was able to make that one-run lead stand up. Sean Green set down the Cubs in order in the eighth and Tanner Scheppers finished the ninth for his second save. Tufts (2-0) picked up his second win against the Cubs this year. Robertson (0-1) was charged with a blown save and the loss. The Cubs and Express play game three of this four-game series tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 at Dell Diamond. RH Randy Wells (1-0, 5.25) will start for the Cubs against RH Mark Hamburger (0-0, 11.25) for the Express. The game will be broadcast live on AM 940 and streamed live at iowacubs.com. Deene Ehlis and Randy Wehofer have the call with the On-Deck Circle Pre-Game Show starting at 12:45.

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