PCL1 Round Rock Express

Homers Sink Express 5-1 In 11 Innings

June 18, 2010 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


ROUND ROCK, Texas - Scott Thorman's one-out solo homer snapped a 1-1 tie in the top of the 11th, and Cody Clark's three-run shot capped the inning as the Omaha Royals defeated the Round Rock Express 5-1 in Friday night's series opener at The Dell Diamond. The Express (30-39) have lost eight of nine and fall to 2-6 in extra-inning games, including a 1-5 mark in extra-inning games at home. The Royals (36-30) move to 6-3 against Round Rock on the season.

Thorman drilled a 1-0 Brad Thompson offering just over the yellow line in straight-away center field for his ninth round-tripper of the season. After a groundout, Jordan Parraz doubled into the left-field corner. Ed Lucas was then intentionally walked, and Clark took a 1-0 Thompson pitch over the wall in left-center. It was Clark's second homer of the season.

That made a winner of Matt Herges (3-2), who worked the game's final 2.0 innings without allowing a run; he worked around trouble in each inning, allowing three hits and a walk. Starter Philip Humber allowed one run on three hits and a walk with five strikeouts over 7.0 innings.

Thompson (0-2), who started the season in the Royals organization, took the loss. Starter Andy Van Hekken surrendered a run on seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts over 7.0 innings. Chris Sampson, on a rehab assignment, worked a perfect eighth with two strikeouts. Gary Majewski allowed a hit with four strikeouts in 2.0 scoreless innings.

Round Rock took the game's first lead with a run on two hits in the third. The Express loaded the bases with one out on a Drew Meyer walk, a Yordany Ramirez single, and a Jason Bourgeois single. Wladimir Sutil, in his first game with the Express after being promoted from Double-A Corpus Christi following Thursday's game, delivered a sacrifice fly.

Omaha tied the game with a run on three hits in the top of the sixth. Alex Gordon singled to open the frame and later scored on Jai Miller's two-out RBI single.

The Express had several chances late. In the eighth, Drew Locke led off with a single but was stranded at second when Omaha second baseman Kurt Mertins snagged Sutil's two-out line drive up the middle. Chris Johnson singled with one out in the ninth and moved to second on a wild pitch, but he was stranded there. Locke again delivered a leadoff single in the 10th, and Express had runners on the corners with two outs when Sutil grounded out. Johnson and Jason Castro had consecutive one-out singles in the bottom of the 11th, but Matt Kata grounded into a game-ending double play.

Locke was 3-for-4, his highest hit total in a game this season. Johnson was 2-for-5. Jason Bourgeois was 1-for-3 and intentionally walked twice.

Clark was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a walk for the Royals, while Ed Lucas was 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.

Round Rock and Omaha continue the four-game series Saturday with a 7:05 p.m. CDT first pitch. Right-hander Shane Loux (2-2, 6.75 ERA) is scheduled to start on the mound for the Express. The Cubs have not yet announced a starter as the scheduled starter, southpaw Everett Teaford, was scratched prior to Friday's game.

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