MEMPHIS, Tennessee - Round Rock Express (11-7) 1B Taylor Jones blasted two home runs and collected three RBI in a 9-4 victory over the Memphis Redbirds (9-9) on Monday afternoon at AutoZone Park. The victory gave Round Rock a series split against the defending Triple-A National Champions. Express RHP Brady
MEMPHIS, Tennessee - Round Rock Express (11-7) 1B Taylor Jones blasted two home runs and collected three RBI in a 9-4 victory over the Memphis Redbirds (9-9) on Monday afternoon at AutoZone Park. The victory gave Round Rock a series split against the defending Triple-A National Champions.
Express RHP Brady Rodgers (2-0, 2.25) picked up his second win in a row after holding the Redbirds to three runs on four hits in 6.0 dominant innings. On the opposite side of the ledger, Memphis RHP Ryan Meisinger (0-4, 6.23) allowed four runs on four hits in 4.0 frames.
Jones wasted no time putting the E-Train on the board, launching a one-out homer to deep left field to give Round Rock an immediate 1-0 advantage. In his second at-bat, Jones smoked his second longball of the afternoon, doubling the Express lead to 2-0 in the third.
Memphis tied the game with one swing of the bat in the home half of the frame as 2B Ramón Urías worked a leadoff walk prior to a Johan Mieses home run that leveled the contest at 2-2.
Round Rock responded with a three-run fifth inning. RF Drew Ferguson got the party started with a leadoff walk before C Jamie Richie followed with a single. Jones then collected his third RBI of the afternoon with a double. DH Yordan Alvarez upped his team-leading RBI total to 25 with a two-run double in the next at-bat.
After Mieses notched his second solo homer of the day in the bottom of the fifth, Round Rock SS Jack Mayfield picked the run right back up with a sacrifice fly that scored Ritchie from third, resetting the score at 6-3. Back-to-back doubles by Memphis 3B Max Schrock and 1B John Nogowski brought the Redbirds within 6-4 in the eighth, but the Round Rock bats unloaded in the ninth to put any ideas of a Redbirds comeback to rest.
Straw hit a one-out single off Memphis reliever RHP Chris Beck before Mayfield lined his fourth home run of the season to left field. Alvarez then stepped to the plate and blasted a no-doubter solo home run to dead center field, extending his Minor League Baseball-leading home run total to 10. With the bomb, his 10th in his first 17 games, Alvarez became the fastest player to double-digit home runs in a single season in Round Rock Express franchise history.
After a league-wide off day on Tuesday, the Express return home to Dell Diamond on Wednesday, April 24 to open a five-game homestand against the New Orleans Baby Cakes (Miami Marlins affiliate). Baby Cakes RHP Ben Meyer (0-2, 8.00) is slated to start the series opener against an Express pitcher to be announced. First pitch on Wednesday night at Dell Diamond is set for 7:05 p.m.
For more information on the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and join the conversation during our historic 20th anniversary season using #20STROng.
