PCL1 Round Rock Express

Hoying Lifts Express to 8-7 Victory

June 21, 2013 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


ROUND ROCK, Texas - After blowing a five-run lead, pinch hitter Jared Hoying delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Round Rock Express (42-33) an 8-7 win over the Memphis Redbirds (36-39) Thursday night.

Leading 7-2 and entering the eighth inning, the Express bullpen gave up a five-spot to the Redbirds to lock the game at seven but the E-Train bench came through in the clutch.

For the second straight night, Memphis was first to the scoreboard as the Redbirds plated two runs in the top of the second. After a one-out single by catcher Rob Johnson, shortstop Greg Garcia tripled to push the first run across the plate. Express starter Ryan Feierabend then gave up a RBI single to designated hitter Chad Huffman to put the Redbirds in front 2-0.

The Express answered immediately in the bottom of the second, drawing three consecutive walks from Redbirds starter Maikel Cleto to load the bases with no outs. Center fielder Leury Garcia tied the game on the second pitch of his at-bat, singling in two runs to knot the game at two apiece. Cleto then served up a RBI double to second baseman Greg Miclat as the E-Train took a 3-2 lead. With still no outs on the board, the offense wasn't finished, plating two more runs on a RBI single off the bat of left fielder Joey Butler to give Round Rock a three-run advantage heading into the third inning.

Feierabend was spotless after allowing the two runs, holding Memphis scoreless over the next four frames. The southpaw exited after 6.0 innings of work with a season-high nine strikeouts.

Round Rock plated runs in the sixth and seventh to extend the lead to five. Miclat added his second RBI double of the evening in the sixth while first baseman Chris McGuiness knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh to give the Express a 7-2 lead.

Right-hander Lisalverto Bonilla took over on the mound for the E-Train in the top of the seventh, but after a scoreless frame, encountered trouble in the eighth. Bonilla allowed one-out singles to Johnson and Garcia to put two runners on and start a Redbirds rally. Huffman then added to his RBI total for the night, slamming a three-run shot to left on a 3-1 pitch, pulling the Redbirds within two at 7-5. Memphis didn't let up, putting two more runners on before Bonilla was lifted in favor of southpaw Nate Robertson. After allowing a single to load the bases, Robertson gave up a two-run single to first baseman Brock Peterson to tie the game at seven. The left-hander eventually worked his way out of the inning but the damage was done.

Locked in a 7-7 battle, right fielder Jim Adduci worked a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth to give the E-Train a base runner. With designated hitter Aaron Cunningham at the plate, Adduci advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on Cunningham's ground out. The Redbirds intentionally walked McGuiness to put runners on first and third. Round Rock called on Jared Hoying off the bench and the pinch hitter delivered, ripping a single into right field on the first pitch he saw to give the E-Train an 8-7 walk-off win.

Robertson picked up the win in relief, improving to 2-2 while Memphis reliever Victor Marte (2-1) suffered the loss after allowing the winning run to score.

The Express concludes a four-game homestand with the Memphis Redbirds Friday night at 7:05 p.m. Round Rock will hand the ball to southpaw Brad Mills (6-1, 2.88 ERA) to start tomorrow night's game. Friday will also be Friday Fireworks, presented by Budweiser at Dell Diamond as the Central Texas sky will light up following the conclusion of the game. 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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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 21, 2013


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