Round Rock Prevails in Dramatic 13-Inning Series Finale

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - The Round Rock Express (32-21) won their first season series of the year on Wednesday night after batting through 13 innings to claim a 13-12 victory over the rival Nashville Sounds (21-32) at First Tennessee Park.
The back-and-forth affair saw a total of 11 pitchers used. E-Train RHP Ronel Blanco (1-0, 1.59) earned his first career Triple-A win after holding the Sounds to three runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits while striking out five in 4.0 innings out of the bullpen.
Oddly enough, Sounds INF Tyler Depreta-Johnson , who was called up this morning from the Class A Hickory Crawdads, made his Triple-A debut on the mound. Depreta-Johnson suffered the loss after surrendering four runs, only two of which were earned, on three hits in a 2.0 inning appearance.
Round Rock C Jamie Ritchie made an appearance on the hill as well, where earned his first career save after shutting down a Sounds comeback in the 13th inning.
Nashville took a brief lead in the first as 1B Matt Davidson doubled home 2B Andy Ibáñez . The next inning, the Express quickly struck back as LF Yordan Alvarez singled prior to a two-run Taylor Jones longball that put the visitors on top 2-1. The Sounds responded in the home half as RF Chase d'Arnaud sent a two-run homer of his own into left field, scoring DH Tyler Pill , who had previously reached base on a fielder's choice.
In the third, Round Rock took another lead over Nashville, thanks to leadoff hits from SS Alex De Goti and CF Drew Ferguson. Alvarez then used a single to drive in De Goti before Ferguson touched home closely thereafter on a Jones sacrifice fly. C Lorenzo Quintana extended the Express lead to 5-3 in the fourth with a sacrifice fly that sent DH AJ Reed home after he doubled and moved to third on a Nick Tanielu groundout.
In the home half of the fifth, Ibanez reached base on a fielder's choice prior to a Widsom walk, setting up a run-scoring opportunity for LF Carlos Tocci. The outfielder delivered with a two-run single that tied the game at 5-5.
Round Rock continued the fight in the sixth as 3B Joshua Rojas, who came in as a defensive substitute for Tanielu, crushed a triple before ultimately scoring on a Quintana base hit. The backstop advanced to third thanks to a De Goti hit, then was sent home on yet another single, this time from RF Kyle Tucker , to give the Express what seemed to be a comfortable 7-5 lead.
However, the Sounds began a rally in the eighth as Tocci and Moore each reached base via a single and a walk, respectively, before both runners raced home on a two-out Delino DeShields single. The pair of runs leveled the score at seven to force three dramatic extra innings.
After a quiet 10th frame, Tucker started the 11th on second base per MiLB's extra-inning rules and stole third. The Sounds decided to intentionally walk Alvarez, who returned the favor by stealing second. Reed and Rojas then teamed up for a pair of RBI singles that sent both baserunners home, giving the Express a short-lived two-run advantage. With two outs in the bottom of the frame, Ibanez spoiled the fun, blasting a two-run shot over the fences, tying the game once again.
As the E-Train headed to the 12th, Quintana began on second base and advanced to third on an Anibal Sierra fly out. The catcher eventually touched home on a De Goti sacrifice fly for Round Rock's 10th run of the night. The resilient Sounds leveled the game once more as Wisdom began the frame at second base before trotting to third on a Tocci single. A Moore fielder's choice then left Wisdom enough time to race home with the game-tying run.
In the 13th frame, Ferguson launched a two-run bomb into left field, scoring the automatic runner in Tucker. Following a Jones single, Reed followed with his second RBI single of the night to drive in what proved to be the game-winning run.
Nashville made a final push in the bottom half of the 13th as Ibanez doubled home two more runs after a DeShields single. With Ritchie on the mound, the Round Rock defense held on to shut down any hope of another inning, finalizing a 13-12 final score.
The Express head back to Round Rock to meet the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs affiliate) for the first time this season. E-Train LHP Cionel Pérez (0-0, 6.19) is scheduled to start opposite I-Cubs RHP Alec Mills (1-2, 8.01). First pitch in the series opener of a four-game set at Dell Diamond is scheduled 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 season using #20STROng.
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Round Rock Express Baseball, owned and operated by Ryan Sanders Baseball, LP, is the proud Triple-A Affiliate of the Houston Astros and a member of the Pacific Coast League