Homers Bake Express in 9-2 Loss to Baby Cakes
August 24, 2018 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release
ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Round Rock Express (59-71) were done in by the longball in Friday night's series opener at Dell Diamond as the New Orleans Baby Cakes (65-64) mashed their way to a 9-2 victory.
Round Rock starter RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx (3-5, 5.61) finished with the loss after surrendering three home runs in 5.0 innings on the mound. The right-hander punched out six while walking just one, but was roughed up for eight runs, all earned, on seven hits in his 14th start of the season. Baby Cakes starter LHP Dillon Peters (4-8, 6.09) earned the win for tossing 7.0 frames while allowing two runs on nine hits.
The E-Train offense got rolling early as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. 2B Christian Lopes led off the side with a double down the line in right and moved to third when CF Scott Heineman went the other way on a single. Two batters later, DH Tommy Joseph collected his 57th RBI of the year on a run-scoring single up the middle.
Following a scoreless second, New Orleans leveled the score in the top of the third when SS Peter Mooney doubled, moved to second on a wild pitch, and came home on a Jonathan Rodriguez sacrifice fly. In the next frame, the 'Cakes jumped out to a 3-1 lead on DH Tomas Telis' two-run homer to left that came just after 2B Isan Diaz reached base on a single.
Bibens-Dirkx got out of the fourth without allowing any further damage but fell victim to the longball once again in the top of the fifth as New Orleans stretched the gap to 8-1. Mooney singled to lead off the inning, setting up another two-run homer, this time courtesy of C Austin Nola. After the next two batters reached base on a walk and a single, Baby Cakes RF Peter O'Brien banged a three-run round-tripper off the batter's eye in center field.
Round Rock chipped away for their second run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth. LF Willie Calhoun followed Heineman's leadoff walk with a single to put runners on the corners with none out. Joseph then stepped to the plate and lofted a sacrifice fly to center, cutting the deficit to 8-2.
The Baby Cakes would add an extra run in the eighth on an RBI single by Nola to make it 9-2 while the Express managed to put just one runner on base in the final two frames.
The series continues with game two on Saturday night at Dell Diamond. Round Rock RHP Richelson Pena (3-2, 4.95) is slated to duel with New Orleans RHP Sandy Alcantara (6-3, 3.63) on the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT.
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