Round Rock Defeats El Paso 5-3
ROUND ROCK, Texas - The park was packed and the cameras were on as the Round Rock Express (30-16) completed its eight-game homestand with a 5-3 win over the El Paso Chihuahuas (24-23). The Express used a four-run third inning to pad the lead and held off another late-inning threat from El Paso to earn its 30th win of the year.
Express starting pitcher Francisco Mendoza made his first start of the season and surrendered a lead-off single to El Paso RF Rymer Liriano who nudged a soft fly ball to center field. Liriano then advanced all the way to third on a ground out courtesy of fellow El Paso outfielder Jake Goebbert. Mendoza muffled the Chihuahuas spurt with a strikeout and a fly out to end the top half of the opening inning.
Round Rock received a hit from 3B Tyler Pastornicky in the first, but El Paso starter Jason Lane took care of the three and four spot hitters to finish the first and bring Mendoza back on the field.
Mendoza began the second with back-to-back strikeouts, but found trouble as El Paso 2B Casey McElroy drove a single to left field to keep the inning alive. C Rocky Gale then floated a single to right that shuffled McElroy to third. CF Rico Noel provided the RBI single to score McElroy and put the Chihuahuas up 1-0 after two innings of play.
The energy in the ballpark shifted back in Round Rock's favor during the third inning as C Brett Nicholas kick started the inning with a lead-off single. 1B J.T. Wise reached on an error that occupied first and second base for the E-Train. CF Ryan Strausborger laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to move the runners and welcome Pastornicky back to the plate. Pastornicky used a sacrifice fly to score Nicholas and tie the affair at 1-1. 2B Rougned Odor stepped into the batter's box and was issued a walk from Lane to put two men on for RF Jake Smolinski. Smolinski relished in the moment and blasted a three-run shot to left field that propelled the Express to a 4-1 advantage. SS Ed Lucas grounded out to end the inning, but the Round Rock bats remained hungry in the fourth.
RHP Jose Monegro entered for Mendoza who went 3.0 innings with four hits, one run (earned), one walk and struck out five. Monegro started his night with a fly out, pop out and ground out for a 1-2-3 fourth. C Tomas Telis knocked a single to begin the inning, but LF Michael Choice quickly picked up the first out with a fly out in foul territory. Nicholas then manufactured his second hit of the night, giving the Express men on first and second with one out. A quick fly out from Wise put the second out of the inning on the board with Strausborger due up. The center fielder delivered with an RBI single that amplified the E-Train lead to 5-1 with four innings in the book.
Both clubs went silent in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings until the Chihuahuas barked back in the eighth. Liriano posted his second hit of the evening with a single to left field off of Round Rock right-handed reliever Luke Jackson and advanced all the way to third on back-to-back wild pitches. Goebbert then reached on a Lucas fielding error, bringing Liriano home to chip away at the Express lead and make the score 5-2. Jackson then constructed three consecutive strikeouts to end the inning, with the second K being called on an automatic strike due to a time infraction. This marked the first instance that the automatic strike time infraction has been called at Dell Diamond.
The ninth inning provided another dramatic finish as Jackson gave up three straight one-out singles that brought in the third El Paso run of the night and inched the Chihuahuas within two run of tying the contest. Jackson recovered with a ground out for out number two. A ground ball to Lucas completed the homestand as the shortstop stepped on second to give Round Rock the 5-3 victory.
The E-Train's next stop is an eight-game road trip with four against the Tacoma Rainiers followed by four contests with the Reno Aces. RHP Jerad Eickhoff takes the mound for Round Rock with RHP Sam Gaviglio toeing the rubber for Tacoma tomorrow night at 9:05 CDT. Round Rock has not faced either team this season. The E-Train returns to Dell Diamond on June 6 with a four-game series against Oklahoma City.
For tickets and more information on the Express, visit www.RoundRockExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Follow the Express on Facebook and Twitter!