Ike Davis' Blast Fuels 4-3 Round Rock Victory
May 23, 2016 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release
ROUND ROCK, Texas - The momentum from this weekend's series in El Paso carried over tonight as the Round Rock Express (24-19) knocked off the team with the best record in the Pacific Coast League, the Tacoma Rainiers (27-17) by a final score of 4-3 Monday night.
RHP Kyle Lohse (2-0, 3.97) shined on the mound, holding Tacoma to just two runs on four hits in six innings of work. In what was his first career start at Dell Diamond, the 37-year-old recorded a quality start, dishing three strikeouts while walking just two.
Tacoma starter RHP Adrian Sampson (4-3, 3.32) suffered up the loss after allowing all four Round Rock runs on a total of nine hits over the course of six innings on the mound. He twirled four strikeouts while walking one.
It didn't take long for the Express to continue their hitting mojo that the team acquired while in El Paso. C Brett Nicholas led off the second inning with a single before RF Ryan Strausborger added one of his own. In the very next at-bat, 1B Ike Davis clanked a homer off the top of the groundskeeping shed in center field, giving the Express an early 3-0 lead.
Round Rock added to their lead in the fourth thanks to a flurry of singles. Strausborger led things off with his second base hit of the day before 3B Pedro Ciriaco singled on a scorched liner to left field. C Pat Cantwell continued his recent hot streak with a single to center that scored Strausborger easily from third, pushing the home team's advantage to 4-0.
Lohse's only tough inning came in the sixth. Former Express and current Rainiers SS Luis Sardinas notched a one-out single before promptly stealing second base then advancing to third on a wild pitch. A single off the bat of DH Stefen Romero scored his shortstop to put his team on the board. Following an Efren Navarro double that moved Romero to third, C Mike Zunino poked a fly ball just deep enough in left field for Romero to tag and score the second Tacoma run of the evening.
The Round Rock bullpen did their part to preserve the win, allowing just one run on three hits over the final three innings of play. RHP Tom Wilhelmsen made his first relief appearance at Dell Diamond, holding the Rainiers scoreless in two innings.
RHP Francisco Mendoza held on to record the save despite allowing a run in the ninth inning. With two down in the frame, Mendoza served up a single by RF Mike Baxter before plunking PH Rob Brantly. LF Dario Pizzano singled to score Baxter but was thrown out attempting to stretch the hit into a double. Fueled by the momentum-shifting play, Mendoza enticed 2B Zach Shank to fly out to end the game.
Round Rock and Tacoma will continue their series tomorrow evening at 7:05 p.m. RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez (1-4, 6.12) is set to toe the rubber for the Express while RHP Donn Roach (3-2, 6.43) is scheduled to get the nod for the Rainiers. Fans can purchase half-price day-of-game tickets as part of Half-Price Tuesday, presented by A+ Federal Credit Union.
Single game tickets are available along with season ticket packages and group discounts. For more information on the Express, visit www.RoundRockExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter!
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