Rainiers Use Five-Run Eighth to Halt Express, 8-4, Win Fifth-Straight
PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Rainiers Use Five-Run Eighth to Halt Express, 8-4, Win Fifth-Straight

July 26, 2025 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


TACOMA, WA - The Tacoma Rainiers (57-44/19-7) scored five runs in the eighth inning to pull off an 8-4 comeback victory over the Round Rock Express (45-53/11-12) on Saturday night at Cheney Stadium. Sauryn Lao threw a career-high 5.0 innings, allowing just one hit, taking a no-decision. The win is the Rainiers' fifth in a row, maintaining their 2.0-game lead in the PCL Second Half standings.

For the fourth consecutive game, the Express scored in the opening frame. Dustin Harris hit a leadoff home run, his ninth long ball of the season, giving the Express a 1-0 lead. Tacoma starter Sauryn Lao retired the next three batters he faced to get out of the inning.

Tacoma wasted no time to tie the game, scoring a run of their own in the bottom of the frame. Samad Taylor bunted a ball slowly up the first line, beating it out for the single. After Rhylan Thomas flied out and Harry Ford struck out, Tyler Locklear drew a walk and stole second base. Leody Taveras came through with the RBI single to center field, scoring Taylor to tie the game at one. Spencer Packard grounded out for the third out of the inning.

The Rainiers took the lead in the second inning, scoring a pair of runs. Victor Labrada hit a one-out single to right field and Jack López cranked a two-run home run to left field, his seventh of the season, giving Tacoma a 3-1 lead. Drake got a pair of strikeouts to get out of the frame.

Sauryn Lao threw a career-high 5.0 innings, allowing just one run on one hit, the Harris home run. He retired the final eight batters that he faced, taking a no-decision.

Round Rock leveled the score in the top of the sixth inning against Josh Fleming, the first Tacoma reliever of the night. Richie Martin led off the frame with a triple to straightaway center field. Konner Piotto drove him in with a soft single to cut the Tacoma lead to 3-2. Harris kept the inning going with a walk, moving Piotto to second base. Cody Freeman laid down a sacrifice bunt, but Fleming's throw to first base pulled Locklear off the bag, loading the bases with no outs. Justin Foscue grounded into a double play to the shortstop Leo Rivas, but Piotto scored on the play to tie the game at three. Hauver drew a two-out walk to extend the frame, but Blaine Crim grounded out to Fleming to retire the side.

Austin Kitchen took over for the seventh inning, throwing a scoreless frame as he worked around a two-out single.

The Express managed to take the lead in the top of the eighth, as Tayler Saucedo took over. Saucedo struck out Harris and got Freeman to line out for the first two outs of the inning, but Foscue hit a solo home run to left field to take a 4-3 lead. Hauver struck out for the final out of the inning.

Tacoma rebounded in the bottom of the inning. Tyler Locklear led off the inning with a solo home run, his 19th of the season to tie the game at four. Leody Taveras followed with a double down the right field, representing the go-ahead run. Spencer Packard walked, putting runners at first and second base. Rivas executed a sacrifice bunt down the third-base line to push both runners into scoring position. The Express intentionally walked Labrada to load the bases. López delivered the big knock again, poking a two-run single up the middle to put Tacoma back on top 6-4. After Samad Taylor flied out to right field, Rhylan Thomas singled through the hole on the right side to score Labrada, pushing the lead to 7-4. Harry Ford delivered the final blow, slapping a single to right field to score López and give the Rainiers an 8-4 lead.

Jesse Hahn took over for the ninth inning, slamming the door with a perfect inning, picking up a strikeout and a pair of ground outs to first base to finish the game and give Tacoma an 8-4 victory, their fifth win in a row.

POSTGAME NOTES:

Jack López went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI out of the nine-spot on Saturday night...the four RBI are the most for a Rainier out of the ninth spot in the lineup this season...the last Rainier with four RBI in the ninth spot in the order was Nick Solak, who did so on May 10, 2024 at Reno in a 12-10 victory...the last time the nine batter recorded five RBI was Riley Unroe, who drove in five on September 23, 2023

Sauryn Lao threw a career-high 5.0 innings on Saturday night, surpassing his previous high of 4.0 innings, which came on May 25 at El Paso...the only other Rainier pitcher to throw at least 5.0 innings and allow one hit was Logan Gilbert, who did so in a Major League rehab start on June 10...the last non-rehab pitcher to do so was Michael Mariot, who did so on June 13, 2024 at Round Rock

Austin Kitchen threw a scoreless seventh inning, throwing six pitches, all for strikes...it's the fourth time this season that Kitchen has pitched an inning where he did not throw a ball, the most such occurrences by a Rainier pitcher this season, with the next-closest being the two times that Josh Fleming has done so

The win was the Rainiers' fifth in a row, their fourth streak of at least five wins this season...their only longer streak was the seven-game streak from May 25-June 1

Team RISP: 1-for-3.

Team LOB: 3.

FIELDING DP: (Freeman-Chavez, F-Foscue).

Tacoma AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO PO A Taylor, S, 2B .314 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 Thomas, R, DH .308 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 Ford, H, C .295 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 4 0 Locklear, 1B .316 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 12 0 Taveras, CF .298 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 Packard, LF .275 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 1-Marlowe, PR-LF .231 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Rivas, SS .331 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 Labrada, RF .311 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 López, Ja, 3B .243 4 2 2 0 0 1 4 0 0 3 1 Lao, P .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Fleming, J, P .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Kitchen, P .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Saucedo, P .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hahn, P .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals .283 35 8 13 1 0 2 8 4 5 27 10 1-Ran for Packard in the 8th.

BATTING 2B: Taveras (7, Hales).

HR: López, Ja (7, 2nd inning off Drake, 1 on, 1 out); Locklear (19, 8th inning off Hales, 0 on, 0 out).

TB: Ford, H; Labrada 2; Locklear 4; López, Ja 5; Packard; Rivas; Taveras 3; Taylor, S 2; Thomas, R.

RBI: Ford, H (57); Locklear (81); López, Ja 4 (39); Taveras (35); Thomas, R (44).

2-out RBI: Thomas, R; Taveras; Ford, H.

Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Packard; Locklear; López, Ja.

SAC: Rivas.

GIDP: López, Ja.

Team RISP: 4-for-10.

Team LOB: 8.

BASERUNNING SB: Taylor, S (28, 3rd base off Drake/Piotto); Locklear (18, 2nd base off Drake/Piotto).

FIELDING E: Fleming, J (1, throw).

DP: 3 (Taylor, S-Rivas-Locklear; Taylor, S-Locklear; Rivas-Locklear).

Round Rock ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR BF Drake 5.19 5.0 6 3 3 2 5 1 22 Curvelo 3.26 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 8 Hales (L, 0-1)(BS, 2) 17.05 0.1 3 5 5 2 0 1 6 Heuer 3.52 0.2 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 Totals 5.33 8.0 13 8 8 4 5 2 40 Tacoma ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR BF Lao 3.44 5.0 1 1 1 2 1 1 16 Fleming, J (BS, 3) 4.63 1.0 2 2 2 2 0 0 7 Kitchen 3.42 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 Saucedo (W, 3-0) 3.00 1.0 1 1 1 0 2 1 4 Hahn 5.14 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 Totals 4.85 9.0 5 4 4 4 4 2 34 IBB: Labrada (by Hales).

Pitches-strikes: Drake 80-48; Curvelo 21-16; Hales 18-9; Heuer 10-6; Lao 57-36; Fleming, J 22-12; Kitchen 6-6; Saucedo 16-10; Hahn 10-7.

Groundouts-flyouts: Drake 7-2; Curvelo 4-2; Hales 1-0; Heuer 1-1; Lao 4-3; Fleming, J 3-0; Kitchen 2-1; Saucedo 0-0; Hahn 2-0.

Batters faced: Drake 22; Curvelo 8; Hales 6; Heuer 4; Lao 16; Fleming, J 7; Kitchen 4; Saucedo 4; Hahn 3.

Inherited runners-scored: Heuer 2-2.

Umpires: HP: Trevor Dannegger. 1B: Joe Belangia. 2B: Ray Patchen. 3B: Pete Talkington.

Official Scorer: Kevin Kalal.

Weather: 70 degrees, Cloudy.

Wind: 3 mph, Out To CF.

First pitch: 6:05 PM.

T: 2:22.

Att: 6,957.

Venue: Cheney Stadium.

July 26, 2025

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