PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock tops Memphis, 5-4

Published on April 27, 2009 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


ROUND ROCK - Brandon Backe did his part in his first rehab outing of the season and Round Rock used a two-out rally in the eighth to string together its first back-to-back wins of the season with a 5-4 decision over Memphis.

Despite heavy rains that doused The Dell Diamond most of Monday, Backe tossed out the game's first pitch on a relatively dry playing field at 7:07 p.m. The pitch was his first regular-season toss in exactly seven months, dating back to his final outing with Houston in 2008.

Prior to Monday, Backe last appeared against the Atlanta braves on Sept. 27, 2008, allowing eight runs on eight hits, a walk and a strikeout over 1 1/3 innings. The 31-year-old was 9-14 with a 6.05 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 166 2/3 innings with Houston in 2008.

Coming off a strained intercostal muscle (chest) injury that kept him on the Disabled List to start the 2009 season, Backe used 24 pitches to get through a one-run first inning before settling in over the next three frames.

He located 38 of his 63 pitches for strikes and ranged his off-speed pitches from 72-81 mph and his fastball from 87-90 mph. He's scheduled to make at least one more rehabilitation appearance with Double-A Corpus Christi over the weekend.

Backe left the game after the fourth inning with the score knotted, 1-1. Lou Santangelo picked up three hits in the win.

Tyler Greene drew a lead-off walk in the first inning and Jon Jay singled up the middle off Backe to put runners on the corners before inducing a pop-out from Nick Stavinoha. David Freese followed up with a ground out to second base that pushed Greene across.

But Round Rock answered back, evening the score on a Bogusevic triple and a one-out, RBI single from John Gall in the bottom of the frame.

Backe allowed one more hit and one more walk before fanning the heavy-hitting Jarrett Hoffpauir to end his outing.

Round Rock used four singles in the fifth - including run-scoring shots from reliever and regular starter Josh Muecke and Bogusevic - to go ahead 3-1. After the Redbirds put up a run in the top of the sixth, Santangelo drove home Mark Saccomanno with two outs to push the lead back to 4-2.

Memphis wouldn't relent, scoring once in the seventh on a Jon Jay single and again in the eighth when Allen Craig homered off reliever Casey Daigle.

That's when the two-out rally came into play.

Redbirds reliever Charlie Manning got two quick outs to start the bottom of the eighth before Edwin Maysonet singled to right. Tommy Manzella followed up with a single to deep right-centerfield that pushed Maysonet to third.

Casey Rowlett took the relay throw near second base and tried to catch Maysonet leaning off third, but the ball wound up skipping past third and allowing Maysonet to score the go-ahead run.

Chad Paronto allowed a Rowlett double to start the ninth before picking up the final three outs.

The two teams meet for the final of a four-game series Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. at The Dell Diamond.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 27, 2009


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