Dodgers Blast Past Express, 9-3

OKC Dodgers – 9

Round Rock Express – 3

Monday, August 2, 2021 – Dell Diamond – Round Rock, Texas

Game Summary: The Oklahoma City Dodgers blasted three home runs totaling nine runs to back a solid Triple-A debut by starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot in a 9-3 win over the Round Rock Express Monday night at Dell Diamond. Steven Souza Jr. launched a grand slam in the top of the second inning to give the Dodgers (40-37) a 4-0 lead. The Express (37-40) cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the frame, scoring on a solo homer and a wild pitch. Sheldon Neuse hit the first of his two home runs in the third inning, sending a three-run homer to right field to make it 7-2. Yohel Pozo went deep in the sixth inning for Round Rock before Neuse drilled his second homer of the night off the batter’s eye in the eighth inning, as his two-run blast pushed the lead to 9-3. Pepiot allowed two runs over five innings and notched seven strikeouts to earn the win in his first game in an OKC uniform.

Of Note:

-Steven Souza Jr. hit the team’s fourth grand slam of the season. It marked the third grand slam of Souza’s 14-year pro career and his first since June 18, 2017 with the Tampa Bay Rays against the Detroit Tigers.

-Sheldon Neuse collected his third career multi-homer game but first since Aug. 8, 2017 while playing for High-A Stockton against San Jose. It was the 11th multi-homer game by an OKC player in 2021. Neuse’s five RBI set a season high and tied his career high. Similar to his multi-homer games, it was his third career game with five RBI and first since suiting up for Stockton in 2017 (July 28 at Modesto). It’s the eighth time this season an OKC player has finished a game with five or more RBI.

-Starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot made his Triple-A debut and was the winning pitcher. He allowed two runs and two hits over 5.0 innings, with three walks and seven strikeouts. Both runs scored in the second inning following a solo homer, walk, hit batter and a wild pitch. Pepiot finished strong and retired 11 of the final 13 batters he faced. He threw 78 pitches, with 49 strikes.

-After being held without a home run the past two games, the Dodgers hit three home runs for the second time in the series and 14th time this season. Even though the Dodgers have gone homer-less in back-to-back games five times this year, they have yet to not homer in three straight games. The team has now hit 41 homers over their last 23 games.

-Cristian Santana extended his current hitting streak to eight games, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. During the hitting streak, Santana is 15-for-34 (.441) with nine RBI and six multi-hit games. He now has picked up two more or hits in five of his last six games, six of his last eight games and seven of his last 10 games.

-For the fourth time in five games during the current series, the Dodgers pitching staff kept Round Rock to three or fewer runs and five hits. They racked up 12 strikeouts Monday night and have 55 strikeouts over the first five games of the current series.

-The Dodgers have won three of the last four games in the current series and improved to 22-8 in their last 30 road games and 7-3 in their last 10 road games.

What’s Next: The Dodgers will have a chance to win their series in Round Rock when they finish the six-game set at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, with starting pitcher Andre Jackson scheduled to make his Triple-A debut. Live radio coverage of each OKC Dodgers game begins 15 minutes before first pitch on AM 1340 "The Game," 1340thegame.com and through the free iHeartRadio or MiLB First Pitch apps. All OKC Dodgers games are also available streamed live on MiLB.TV with a subscription.