PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express Drop Opener at Tucson 11-8

Published on May 11, 2011 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


TUCSON, Ariz. - Alex Cintron's RBI single capped a three-run eighth inning as the Tucson Padres defeated the Round Rock Express 11-8 in Tuesday night's Pacific Coast League series opener at Kino Stadium. Round Rock (21-11) saw its five-game winning streak snapped, while Tucson (15-18) halted a three-game skid.

Cedric Hunter singled and Aaron Cunningham walked to open the eighth. Jesus Guzman advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt, but Brian Barden's throw to first sailed down the right-field line, allowing Hunter to score. That snapped an 8-8 tie, and Matt Clark followed with a sacrifice fly ahead of Cintron's RBI single.

Matt Kata singled to open the ninth, and Kevin Cash followed with a walk. But Tucson reliever Pat Neshek induced a double play and a ground out to escape the jam and close the game.

Neshek (1-1) earned the victory, entering the game and retiring Taylor Teagarden to close the top of the eighth. Starter Rob Musgrave allowed two runs on six hits and three walks with one strikeout over 4.0 innings.

Zach Phillips (0-3) pitched the bottom of the eighth and took the loss for the Express in relief. Starter Neil Ramirez suffered his roughest outing of the season. He allowed six runs - five earned - on six hits and four walks with two strikeouts over 3.1 innings. Ramirez allowed five hits in the fourth inning, one more than he had allowed in any outing this season.

Taylor Teagarden's opposite-field solo homer snapped a scoreless tie in the top of the second. A passed ball led to an unearned run for Tucson in the bottom of the third, but the Express recaptured the lead in the top of the fourth on Cash's two-out RBI single.

That lead was short-lived, though, as Tucson plated six runs on six hits in the bottom of the fourth, punctuated by Guzman's two-run double. The Express tied the game with a three-run sixth and a three-run seventh around Tucson's single spot in the bottom of the sixth. Barden capped the sixth with an RBI double and the seventh with a two-run single.

Kata was 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored, while Teagarden was 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. Cash reached in all five plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with two RBI, two walks; he also was hit by a pitch. Barden was 2-for-5 with three RBI.

Hunter finished 4-for-4 with four runs scored, while Cunningham walked four times and doubled.

Round Rock and Tucson continue their four-game series Wednesday with a 9:05 p.m. CDT first pitch at Kino Stadium. It will be dueling southpaws as Zach Jackson (2-0, 4.93 ERA) takes the mound for the Express, and Wade LeBlanc (2-0, 5.17 ERA) is slated to go for the Padres.

NOTES: The Express fell one game shy of the 2006 squad's best 32-game start. The 2006 team opened 22-10 before losing three straight. ... By virtue of Sacramento's loss at Memphis and Albuquerque's loss at Las Vegas, Round Rock maintained its claim of the PCL's best record and a two-and-a-half-game lead over Albuquerque in the American Southern division.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 11, 2011


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