PCL1 Round Rock Express

Express Fall to Fresno 10-4

Published on May 19, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


ROUND ROCK, Texas - George Kontos retired the heart of Round Rock's order in the eighth inning with the potential tying run at the plate in each at bat, and the Fresno Grizzlies tacked on three ninth-inning runs en route to a 10-4 victory in Saturday night's Pacific Coast League action at The Dell Diamond. The Express (18-25) have lost nine of their last 10 games, while the Grizzlies (29-13) have won each of the series' first three games.

Round Rock managed only one run on four hits through seven innings against Fresno starter Eric Hacker. However, reliever Craig Whitaker hit Mike Bianucci and walked Dusty Brown to open the eighth. Tommy Mendonca followed with an RBI double, snapping his 0-for-17 skid. Julio Borbon then reached on a fielder's choice when Whitaker unsuccessfully tried to get Brown into a run-down between third and home. Luis Hernandez followed with a walk, scoring Brown and cutting the deficit to 7-3.

Kontos closed the door from there; although, it was close. Ryan Spilborghs drilled a 1-0 offering that was snagged by shortstop Nick Noonan. One pitch after drilling a 1-1 offering off the façade of the United Heritage Center along the right-field line, Brad Nelson struck out; the ball skipped to the backstop, allowing Mendonca to score. Kontos then struck out Butler to end the threat.

Fresno put the game away in the ninth thanks to Francisco Peguero's RBI triple followed by Roger Kieschnick's two-run homer.

Hacker (7-1) struck out six and did not walk a batter, tying Albuquerque's Will Savage for the PCL wins lead. Kontos worked a perfect ninth and finished with three strikeouts for his first save.

Express starter Neil Ramirez (4-4) shouldered the loss. He allowed seven runs on seven hits over six and one-third innings with two walks and three strikeouts. Ramirez matched his professional career high for earned runs allowed for the second consecutive outing. He also surrendered seven earned runs April 12, 2010, with Class-A Hickory.

Todd Linden's second-inning, two-run homer provided the game's first runs. Linden singled with two outs in the fourth, stole second and scored on Nick Noonan's RBI single. The Express got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Borbon doubled with one out and later scored on Spilborghs' two-out double. Fresno pushed its lead to 7-1 in the seventh on a Tyler LaTorre two-run single, a Justin Christian RBI double and a Conor Gillaspie sacrifice fly.

Spilborghs finished 1-for-4, pushing his hitting streak to 13 games; he has hit safely in every game with the Express. Borbon was 3-for-4 and has hit safely in seven straight games. Nelson was 0-for-4, snapping a nine-game streak. Mendonca's double was the only other Express hit.

Linden finished 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Kieschnick and Christian both had two-hit nights.

Round Rock and Fresno conclude their four-game series Sunday with a 1:05 p.m. CDT first pitch at The Dell Diamond. Left-hander Martin Perez (3-3, 5.27 ERA) is slated to go for the Express opposite Grizzlies right-hander Andrew Kown (3-1, 2.61 ERA).

Round Rock Express Baseball, owned and operated by Ryan Sanders Baseball, LP, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and a member of the Pacific Coast League.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 19, 2012


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