Express Escape with 2-1 Victory over Albuquerque
June 22, 2010 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release
ROUND ROCK, Texas - Roy Corcoran escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the top of the ninth to preserve a 2-1 victory for the Round Rock Express over the Albuquerque Isotopes in Tuesday night's series opener at The Dell Diamond. The Express (32-41) have won two of their last three, both one-run games. The Isotopes (36-34) hold a 3-2 lead in the season series.
Albuquerque got consecutive one-out singles from Lucas May and J.D. Closser before Corcoran walked Justin Sellers to load the bases. However, Corcoran battled back to strikeout pinch-hitter Prentice Redman, and Jamie Hoffman lined out to center fielder Brian Bogusevic to end the game. It was Corcoran's fifth save in as many opportunities since moving into the closer role June 3.
That also preserved a strong start from starter Bud Norris, who made his third rehab start with the Express. Norris (1-0) worked 6.0 scoreless innings on six hits and a walk with six pitches. Brad Thompson allowed one run on two hits in an inning of work, and Gary Majewski pitched a perfect eighth.
Albuquerque starter Claudio Vargas (0-1) was saddled with the tough-luck loss. He allowed two unearned runs on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 3.2 innings. Hyang-Nam Choi, Kiko Calero and Jesus Rodriguez combined to shutout the Express on five hits with three strikeouts the rest of the way.
A strikeout and passed ball with two outs in the first made a pair of runs possible for the Express in the bottom of the first. Drew Meyer doubled with one out, but Bogusevic followed with a strikeout. Vargas then struck out Matt Kata, but the ball got past Isotopes catcher Lucas May. Kata raced to first, and May's throw to first sailed down the right-field line. That allowed Meyer to score from second and Kata to reach second. Oswaldo Navarro followed with an RBI single.
Albuquerque got on the board in the seventh, scoring a run on two hits; however, Kata's defense kept the damage at a minimum. Consecutive singles from Closser and Sellers opened the inning and put runners on the corners. Pinch-hitter Bobby Blevins then grounded sharply to Kata, who stepped on first and threw out Sellers at second. Closser scored on the play, but Thompson induced an inning-ending groundout from Hoffman on the next pitch.
Meyer had the lone multiple-hit game for the Express, going 2-for-4. Round Rock won consecutive one-run games for the first time since games May 5 and May 8; it marked only the second time this season that the Express, who are 8-20 in one-run games, won back-to-back one-run contests. It also marked only the fifth time in 38 such games that Round Rock won when scoring fewer than five runs.
Closser led the way for Albuquerque at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a run scored. May was 2-for-4.
Round Rock and Albuquerque continue the four-game series Wednesday with a 7:05 p.m. CDT first pitch at The Dell Diamond. Southpaw Andy Van Hekken (3-4, 3.80 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Express, while right-hander Seth Etherton (2-1, 4.07) gets the nod for the Isotopes.
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