PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express Close out Sacramento 5-3

Published on May 24, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


ROUND ROCK, Texas - Matt Kata's sixth-inning, three-run double propelled the Round Rock Express to a 5-3 victory over the Sacramento River Cats in Thursday night's Pacific Coast League series finale at The Dell Diamond. The Express (21-27) won three of four games in the series and have won six of eight against the River Cats (30-18) over the past two seasons.

Julio Borbon led off the sixth with a single, and Luis Hernandez reached when Sacramento left fielder Grant Green dropped his towering fly ball down the left-field line. Both runners advanced one base on Ryan Spilborghs' groundout, and Brad Nelson lined out to second base. The River Cats chose to intentionally walk Joey Butler, loading the bases. Kata drilled the first pitch he saw into right-center, clearing the bases and erasing a 3-2 Sacramento lead.

Tyler Tufts, Sean Green and Tanner Scheppers each worked a scoreless inning of relief the rest of the way to close the game. It was Scheppers' seventh save.

Express starter Neil Ramirez (5-4) picked up the win. He allowed three runs on four hits and four walks with six strikeouts over six innings. He used a career-high 110 pitches, 30 of which came in the first inning when Ramirez hit a batter and walked two with two outs before striking out Green to quell the threat. Ramirez halted a personal two-start losing streak; he surrendered six, seven and seven earned runs in his previous three starts, respectively.

Sacramento starter A.J. Griffin (0-2) was collared with the tough-luck loss as all three sixth-inning runs were unearned. He surrendered five runs over six innings with a walk and three strikeouts and retired 13 straight Express batters between Butler's first-inning, two-out single and Borbon's sixth-inning leadoff single.

Eric Sogard provided Sacramento a 1-0 lead in the first inning when he singled, stole second, stole third and scored on a Manny Ramirez groundout. The Express quickly answered, plating two runs in the bottom of the inning thanks to a Spilborghs sacrifice fly and Butler's RBI single. Jermaine Mitchell's second-inning, one-out homer tied the game 2-2. That scored held until the top of the sixth when Ramirez led off with a single and later scored on a Derek Norris sacrifice fly.

Borbon was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, pushing his hitting streak to 12 games. He is 23-for-53 (.434) during the streak, and he has hit safely in 22 of his last 24 games (.381, 40-for-105). Kata was 2-for-4, also doubling in the eighth. Hernandez had a double in the first inning and scored twice.

Sogard (2-for-4) turned in the lone multiple-hit game for Sacramento.

Round Rock begins an eight-game road trip Friday, opening a four-game series against the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT at Herschel Greer Stadium. Left-hander Martin Perez (3-4, 5.72 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Express. He will be opposed by former Express member right-hander Seth McClung (1-4, 5.12 ERA).

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 24, 2012


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