PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Drops Series After 8-6 Loss to Albuquerque

Published on August 3, 2018 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - The Round Rock Express (52-59) fell short in Friday night's rubber match with the Albuquerque Isotopes (53-58) at Isotopes Park, losing the series finale by a score of 8-6.

Express starter RHP Chris Rowley (0-2, 8.38) was saddled with the loss after he allowed eight runs, six of them earned, over 4.2 innings. Isotopes starter RHP Jeff Hoffman (5-6, 4.58) earned the win after tossing 6.0 frames of four-run ball.

Round Rock landed the first blow in the top of the first, taking a 4-0 lead off Hoffman. E-Train 2B Christian Lopes led off the contest with a double down the line in left and later scored when CF Scott Heineman punched an RBI single to right in his first at-bat since July 22. Heineman, who missed 10 games while spending time on the disabled list, went 1-5 in his return to action.

Following a one-out walk by 3B Andy Ibanez that advanced Heineman to second, C Tony Sanchez drove in the second Round Rock run of the evening when he plated Heineman on a bloop single. The next batter, 1B Hanser Alberto, lofted a sacrifice fly that scored Ibanez to top off the rally.

Unfortunately for the Express, their time spent in the driver's seat would be short-lived as Albuquerque snatched the lead in the bottom half of the first 4-3. Isotopes DH and 14-year MLB veteran Matt Holliday extended the frame with a two-out single prior to a single by RF David Dahl and a Mike Tauchman walk that loaded the bases for LF Noel Cuevas. On a 2-1 pitch from Rowley, Cuevas connected on a grand slam to left field that cleared the bases and gifted Albuquerque their first lead of the night.

Both teams would exchange one-run sides in the second, pushing to the score to 5-4. Round Rock's score was tallied when Lopes tied the game on sacrifice fly after back-to-back singles from RF Hunter Cole and LF Franklin Rollin. For the Isotopes, it was SS Brendan Rodgers who came through as he put the home team back in front with an RBI groundout.

After adding another run in the bottom of the fourth when 3B Josh Fuentes doubled and scored on a throwing error, Albuquerque would officially end Rowley's night in the bottom of the fifth following a two-run double from 1B Jordan Patterson that made it 8-4. LHP James Jones would take over for the E-Train on the bump, recording a strikeout to retire the side before contributing a shutout inning in the seventh.

Round Rock would continue to nibble at the Isotopes' lead in the sixth and eighth as Lopes collected his second run-scoring single of the night to make it 8-5 prior to DH Juan Centeno drawing a walk and eventually scoring on a wild pitch to inch the Express closer to a tie at 8-6. However, Round Rock would ultimately fail to complete the comeback as Albuquerque reliever RHP D.J. Johnson tossed a scoreless ninth to secure the win for the Isotopes.

The Express will look to bounce back from tonight's loss when they open a four-game series with the El Paso Chihuahuas (60-49) on Saturday night at Southwest University Park in El Paso. Round Rock will send LHP Michael Roth (5-4, 5.00) to the mound to face El Paso RHP Jacob Knix (2-3, 2.05), who will be making his debut at the Triple-A level. First pitch is set for 8:05 p.m. CDT.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from August 3, 2018


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