Round Rock Loses Series Opener in Durham, 7-6
Published on May 5, 2026 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Round Rock Express News Release
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Durham RHP Brody Hopkins struck out six and Round Rock RHP Josh Stephan sat down eight batters through the first four frames without a run from either side.
The Bulls broke through with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the fifth. 1B Blake Sabol got aboard on a two-out single and RF Brock Jones followed with his third homer of the season. Durham led 2-0 after five.
Round Rock responded in the sixth inning after Durham RHP Kodi Whitley replaced Hopkins. RF Trevor Hauver kicked it off with a double off the wall in left. 2B Diego Castillo then laced a double down the third-base line and Hauver came home, cutting the E-Train deficit to one.
The Bulls added two more runs courtesy of DH Dom Keegan. Keegan tallied RBI singles in the sixth and the eighth to give Durham a 3-1, then 4-1 edge.
In the top half of the ninth, Castillo and 3B Richie Martin led off the frame with back-to-back base hits. CF Gilberto Celestino then recorded a sacrifice fly to right and Castillo came home to make it 4-2. LF Aaron Zavala followed with a double and DH Nick Pratto delivered the equalizer with a two-run single up the middle. Zavala and Martin scored, knotting it up at four apiece. After a SS Cam Cauley single and a pitching change, Hauver reached on a fielding error that also allowed two runs to score. Round Rock led 6-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
The Bulls stormed back and secured the win in the final frame. 2B Gavin Lux drove one in with his RBI single, cutting their deficit to one. Back-to-back walks then plated another run to tie the game at six and Keegan recorded his third RBI single of the night, winning the ball game for Durham, 7-6.
E-TRAIN EXCERPTS:
WHERE WE STAND: The Express are now a season-high 8 games below .500...are on a 5-game losing streak...have lost 7 of their last 8.
INTER(NATIONAL)-LEAGUE PLAY: This week's 6-game series in Durham marks the first time the 2 clubs have met...the Express faced 3 International League opponents in 2025, hosting Toledo and visiting Charlotte and St. Paul...went 13-5 and 2-0-1 in those series...this season, went 1-5 against Gwinnett at Dell Diamond (4/1-4/5).
RHP JOSH STEPHAN: (ND, 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 11 SO, 85 pitches, 61 strikes) made his 7th start on Tuesday night and struck out a career-high 11 batters without issuing a walk...was perfect through 3.0 IP...struck out 8 of his first 14 batters faced through 4.0 IP...since 2005, when the Express became a Triple-A club, 13 Round Rock pitchers have struck out 11+ batters in a game, Stephan is 1 of 3 that did not issue a walk (also RHP Phil Irwin on 6/24/2014 vs FRE, 11 SO and RHP Fernando Nieve on 8/26/2005 vs NAS, 11 SO)...is also the only Triple-A pitcher to achieve the feat this year.
INF DIEGO CASTILLO: went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored...3 hits were a game-high...is slashing .357/.500/.429/.929 through his first 4 games with Round Rock.
NOTES: The Express offense tallied their 4th game this season with 12+ hits...are 2-2 in those games...8 of 9 batters in the starting lineup recorded a hit...recorded their 7th game striking out at least 12 batters...are 4-3 in those games.
NEXT GAME: Wednesday, May 6 at Durham FIRST PITCH: 5:45 p.m. CT BALLPARK: Durham Bulls Athletic Park
For more information about the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Subscribe to the E-Train email newsletter and keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and X!
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