Nick Solak Single Pushes Express to 10-9 Walk-off Win

ROUND ROCK, Texas – The Round Rock Express (45-38) came from behind to earn a 10-9 walk-off win over the Albuquerque Isotopes (38-45) on Saturday night. Round Rock trailed 7-0 entering the seventh inning and came back to win their first extra-inning affair at Dell Diamond this year.

Express reliever RHP Ryder Ryan (4-3, 3.18) went home with the winning decision after tossing a hitless 10th inning out of the bullpen. On the losing side, Isotopes reliever LHP Reagan Todd (4-3, 4.18) entered in the 10th inning and gave up the winning run along with two hits while recording zero outs.

Along the Train Tracks:

• After four scoreless innings, Albuquerque hopped on the board first in the top of the fifth. After 1B Jonathan Morales hit a leadoff single, DH D.J. Peterson gave the Isotopes a 2-0 lead with a home run to right field.
• After a Jimmy Herron flyout, 2B LJ Hatch and CF Wynton Bernard worked back-to-back walks. Hatch finished his trip around the bases as 3B Coco Montes hit into a fielder’s choice and Round Rock committed an error, making it a 3-0 game.
• The Isotopes tacked on three more in the sixth inning thanks to two home runs. A one-out dinger from Peterson marked his second of the night and brought Albuquerque’s total to four. Bernard hit the inning’s second home run and brought Herron, who had drawn a walk, home with him for a 6-0 advantage.
• Albuquerque made it 7-0 in the seventh inning when RF Sam Hilliard hit the team’s fourth home run.
• Round Rock responded with a five-spot in the bottom of the frame for the team’s first runs of the game. 3B Nick Tanielu led the inning off with a single before moving to second as SS Ryan Dorow worked a walk. Both runners advanced when RF Bubba Thompson walked to load the bases. An automatic ball helped CF Ezequiel Duran draw a walk that sent Tanielu home for the first Express run.
• The inning continued when LF Nick Solak hit a single that advanced each runner and scored Dorow. A groundout from DH Andy Ibáñez then sent Thompson home and moved Duran and Solak into scoring position. 1B Elier Hernandez made it a 7-5 game with a two-RBI single before a strikeout ended the inning.
• The Isotopes widened the gap in the ninth inning when Montes started the frame with a single. After a Carlos Pérez strikeout, Hilliard worked a walk. The two then both stole a base to move into scoring position. A single from Morales sent both runners home for a 9-5 lead.
• The bottom half of the inning saw Ibáñez blast a 453-foot home run into left field that scored Solak, who had knocked a single in the previous at-bat. Hernandez followed with a single before stealing a base to put himself in scoring position. After a strikeout and flyout, pinch hitter Josh Sale launched a two-run dinger of his own to tie the game at nine and send the contest to extra innings.
• Express RHP Ryder Ryan kept the Isotopes off the board in the top of the 10th with a sacrifice bunt and two groundouts. In the bottom of the frame, C Jack Kruger started on second base before moving to third as Duran recorded a single. A single from Solak ended the action as he sent Kruger home for the 10-9 win.

E-Train Excerpts:

• Express 3B Nick Tanielu worked a season-high three walks on Saturday night. It is just the second time that the infielder has tallied three walks during his professional career, with the first coming on June 15, 2021 when playing with El Paso in Oklahoma City.
• Round Rock starter LHP Cole Ragans finished his appearance after 4.2 innings that saw three runs, two of which were earned, on three hits and three walks. He also struck out six batters. Ragans had walked just four batters through his first four starts for the Express, which spanned 20.2 innings.
• E-Train 1B Elier Hernandez and LF Nick Solak led the way on offense with four hits apiece. Hernandez finished 4-for-5 with one run scored and two RBI while Solak hit a season-high 4-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBI.
• Round Rock saw extra innings at Dell Diamond for the first time this season on Saturday night. The Express have played two extra-inning contests on the road so far during 2022, winning both in 10 frames, including one at Sugar Land and one in Tacoma.
• Saturday night marked Round Rock’s second three-hour game in the last 21 games. In that time frame, 19 Express contests have been completed in under three hours.
• The seven-run comeback marked the largest since Round Rock was down 6-0 on September 23, 2021 versus Tacoma. The E-Train came back to win that contest 7-6.
• Saturday’s win marked the sixth comeback win for Round Rock this season. The Express are now 2-3 in walk-off wins, 3-33 when trailing after the eighth inning and 11-3 when playing on a Saturday.

Next up: Round Rock and Albuquerque play for the series finale on Sunday night at Dell Diamond. Express RHP Cole Winn (6-0, 5.04) is slated to make the start against Isotopes RHP Karl Kauffmann (--, --) as Round Rock looks to earn the series win. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

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