Express Sets Triple-A Franchise Record in 20-2 Win over Sounds
Published on August 20, 2013 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Round Rock Express (68-62) routed the Nashville Sounds (51-79) behind 21 hits and three home runs, including a grand slam, that set a Triple-A Franchise record with a 20-2 victory Monday night.
Both center fielder Engel Beltre and left fielder Aaron Cunningham ended the night with five RBI, including a grand slam off the bat of Beltre and a pair of home runs from Cunningham.
On the defensive side, starter Evan Meek held the Sounds to just two runs over 6.0 innings to earn his sixth victory, while the bullpen finished off the final 3.0 innings by allowing just one hit.
Round Rock started the scoring in the second with four runs coming off two RBI ground outs and a pair of RBI singles. Four different members of the lineup registered a RBI in the frame as second baseman Yangervis Solarte, first baseman Chris McGuiness, Beltre and catcher Robinson Chirinos each knocked in a run.
The Express used the long ball in the third to build on the four-run advantage with a three-run blast by Cunningham followed by a two-run double from Chirinos. Owning a nine-run lead, the E-Train left the bases loaded in the frame, but was far from done on offense.
Meek's lone blemish on his outing came in the bottom of the third as the right-hander allowed a two-out, two-run single to Nashville right fielder Caleb Gindl that cut the Express lead to seven.
The E-Train added another five-spot in the fourth, plating the first run on a RBI double off the bat of Solarte that brought right fielder Joey Butler across the plate. With one out in the inning, Nashville replaced starter Aaron Laffey with Tim Dillard out of the bullpen, but the right-hander did not fare much better. After recording the second out of the inning, Dillard allowed a RBI single to shortstop Guilder Rodriguez before loading the bases and walking in a score following a free pass to Chirinos. Third baseman Alex Buchholz capped the scoring with a two-run single that gave the Express a 14-2 advantage.
The Sounds were able to hold the Express scoreless through the fifth and sixth, but Round Rock's offense ignited again in the seventh. The E-Train loaded the bases via two singles and a walk before Beltre cashed in all four runs with his first grand slam since April 10, 2012 as a member of the Frisco RoughRiders.
Right-hander Neftali Feliz entered in the seventh out of the Express bullpen and worked a scoreless frame by striking out two batters and throwing 17 pitches (10 strikes) to the three members of Nashville's lineup that he faced.
With a 14-run lead, Round Rock tacked on two more runs in the eighth on a two-run home run from Cunningham, his second blast of the night that made the final score 20-2. It was Cunningham's second multi-home run game of the season, the sixth of his career and second time he has registered two in the same season (2008 as a member of the Midland RockHounds, Double-A affiliate, Oakland Athletics).
After being charged with 11 runs over 3.1 innings, Laffey was tagged with his seventh loss, while Carlos Pimentel worked the final 2.0 innings out of the Round Rock bullpen.
Every member of the Express lineup finished with at least one hit as five different batters registered multiple RBI. Along with Beltre and Cunningham's combined 10 RBI, Chirinos added four of his own in his first game since August 13.
The Express and Sounds conclude a five-game series Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. Southpaw Travis Blackley (0-0, 0.00 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Express, while the Sounds will send Johnny Hellweg (11-5, 2.77 ERA) to the hill. After the five-game set in Nashville, the E-Train returns to Dell Diamond for the final homestand of the regular season on Wednesday, August 21 to open a five-game series against Oklahoma City. For more information on the Express, visit www.RoundRockExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Keep up with the Express on Facebook and Twitter!
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