Express Romp to 7-3 Victory Over Isotopes

ROUND ROCK, Texas – The Round Rock Express (44-38) defeated the Albuquerque Isotopes (38-44) by a final score of 7-3 at Dell Diamond on Friday night. Round Rock guaranteed a series split heading into the final two games of the series over the weekend.

Express LHP Taylor Hearn (1-0, 4.50) collected the win after a 5.0-inning start that saw one earned run on one hit and two walks with nine strikeouts. Isotopes RHP Brandon Gold (4-4, 6.56) was tagged with the loss after allowing seven runs on 12 hits and no walks along with four strikeouts. He surrendered three home runs.

Along the Train Tracks:

• Round Rock plated four runs in the first inning. After a 106.1-mile-per-hour double from RF Steele Walker, LF Nick Solak traded places with a double of his own. C Sam Huff then hit an opposite field home run to right field and extended the lead to 3-0. With two outs, 1B Elier Hernandez added a solo home run and the E-Train chugged along to a 4-0 advantage.
• Albuquerque answered in the third inning when CF Wynton Bernard hit a solo home run, which was his 13th of the year, to cut the Express lead to 4-1.
• The Express grabbed a run back in the bottom of the third. After a leadoff single for SS Ezequiel Duran, Huff singled with one out before DH Josh Sale singled to score Duran and increase the lead to 5-1.
• The fifth inning saw Huff mash his second tater of the night. Solak led the fifth inning off with a double before Huff came up and blasted a 429-foot home run to left field as the E-Train bumped the lead to 7-1.
• Albuquerque 1B D.J. Peterson plated the second Isotopes run of the night with a solo home run of his own in the top of the seventh inning.
• The Isotopes earned one more run in the eighth. Back-to-back singles from RF Brett Boswell and LJ Hatch put runners on the corners as a throwing error helped Boswell advance to third base. Bernard hit into a fielder’s choice to score Boswell and cut the lead to 7-3. Round Rock kept the score frozen the rest of the way to earn the victory.

E-Train Excerpts:

• Express C Sam Huff and 1B Elier Hernandez homered in the same game for the fifth time this year and the second time in the series. Round Rock is 4-1 in games where Huff and Hernandez each homer.
• Huff collected the fifth multi-homer game of his career and his second of the season. Since he was optioned to Round Rock on June 21, Huff has hit six home runs in 13 games.
• Hernandez, DH Josh Sale, 3B Nick Tanielu and C Sam Huff each collected a two-hit night while Huff had the lone three-hit evening for Round Rock. Huff also added a team-high four RBI.
• E-Train starter LHP Taylor Hearn lasted 5.0 innings and struck out nine. He was one strikeout away from tying his minor league career-high in strikeouts.

Next up: The two teams return to Dell Diamond on Saturday night for game five of the six-game series. Round Rock LHP Cole Ragans (1-1, 1.59) is scheduled to make the start up against Albuquerque RHP Ryan Feltner (4-1, 3.76). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. CT.

Single game tickets as well as full season and mini season membership plans are on sale now. 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 Twitter!