Dark Side Strikes Again, Round Rock Falls 6-5 

ROUND ROCK, Texas – The Round Rock Express (20-14) dropped their third consecutive game against the Oklahoma City Dodgers (21-13) on Friday night at Dell Diamond. The Dodgers took home a 6-5 win thanks to a bases loaded balk in the ninth inning.

Oklahoma City RHP Carson Fulmer (0-0, 1.98) collected the win out of the bullpen after tossing a scoreless ninth inning. Round Rock RHP Jesus Tinoco (0-1, 7.16) was tagged with the loss as he allowed one run in his lone inning of relief. Tinoco walked three and struck out three.

Along the Train Tracks:

• Round Rock’s offense took a commanding 2-0 lead in the first when CF Leody Taveras hit a one-out 364-foot home run to left field and LF Zach Reks added a second solo shot with a 427-foot bomb to center field.
• Oklahoma City answered with a run of their own in the second inning. Back-to-back singles from 2B Eddy Alvarez and RF Stefen Romero put runners on the corners before CF Jason Martin provided a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1.
• The Dodgers took over for the lead in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and nobody out, C Tomas Telis singled to tie the game at two apiece. SS Zach McKinstry came up next and worked a bases-loaded walk to make it a 3-2 contest.
• With the bases still loaded in the fourth, 3B Miguel Vargas singled to score Martin and bring the Dodgers lead to 4-2. Following the Vargas single, 1B Jake Lamb hit into the second double play of the night for Oklahoma City and scored McKinstry from third base, extending the advantage to 5-2.
• The E-Train cut the lead to 5-4 after 1B Matt Carpenter and SS Davis Wendzel knocked back-to-back home runs in the home-half of the fourth frame. Round Rock tied things up at five when RF Steele Walker hit into a fielder’s choice, stole second base and scored on a single from 2B Nick Tanielu.
• In the ninth inning, Round Rock RHP Jesus Tinoco struck out Oklahoma City DH Kevin Pillar before walking LF Ryan Noda and Alvarez. After striking Romero out, Tinoco walked Martin to load the bases. A called balk allowed Noda to score from third. The Express couldn’t put a run across in the bottom of the ninth and fell 6-5.

E-Train Excerpts:

• 1B Matt Carpenter and SS Davis Wendzel hit the first back-to-back home runs of the season for the Express. It was the first time the feat has happened since October 3, 2021 when INF Charles Leblanc and INF Domingo Leyba went back-to-back against Sugar Land.
• The home run for Wendzel came on a 3-0 count, which marked the first time that Round Rock has hit a home run on a 3-0 count this season.
• Round Rock RHP Cole Winn tossed a season-high six innings in his start. It is the first time a Round Rock starting pitcher has gone six innings since RHP Kohei Arihara on April 23 against Albuquerque.
• Friday marked just the seventh time that Winn has pitched more than six innings in his career. The last time came on July 2, 2021 while pitching for Double-A Frisco.
• The Express totaled four home runs on Friday night, which is the fourth time this season that Round Rock has hit four dingers in a game. In the previous three games, Round Rock went on to finish with 13 or more runs in each contest.
• E-Train LF Zach Reks went yard for the first time this season in his first at-bat since returning from the Texas Rangers. The former Oklahoma City Dodger launched the sixth pitch he saw onto the center-field shed to contribute to Round Rock’s four homers.

Next up: The Express and Dodgers return to Dell Diamond on Saturday night for the fifth game of the series. Round Rock RHP Tyson Miller (2-0, 3.43) is scheduled to start against Oklahoma City RHP Beau Burrows (**1-2, 5.61**). First pitch is set for 6:05 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!