Isotopes Belt Six Home Runs, Beat Express 11-7

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Round Rock Express (14-12 | 51-49) fell to the Albuquerque Isotopes (12-15 | 38-64), 11-7 in Sunday’s series finale at Isotopes Park. Despite dropping the last game, Round Rock won the series four games to two.

Round Rock starter RHP Adrian Sampson (8-6, 5.91) took the loss after tossing 3.1 innings where he allowed six runs, three of which were earned, on six hits and four walks with seven strikeouts. Albuquerque starter RHP Peyton Battenfield (3-4, 8.24) earned the victory, giving up five runs on seven hits and two walks with three punchouts over 5.0 innings.

Along the Train Tracks:

• Albuquerque DH Jimmy Herron got the scoring started in the bottom of the first with a three-run homer that scored CF Greg Jones and 3B Elehuris Montero to jump out to a 3-0 lead.
• Round Rock used three consecutive extra-base hits with two outs in the top of the second to take a 4-3 lead. 2B Jax Biggers placed a dart into short right centerfield for an RBI double, scoring C Matt Whatley. LF Kellen Strahm showed off his wheels with a triple that brought home Biggers for the second run of the frame. CF Dustin Harris golfed a towering two-run homer to plate Strahm and put his team in front.
• In the bottom of the third inning, C Willie MacIver delivered a game-tying double that allowed Montero to score the fourth run for the Isotopes.
• A wild pitch in the home half of the fourth inning let 2B Hunter Stovall score the go-ahead run to give Albuquerque a 5-4 lead. RF Sean Bouchard increased the Isotopes advantage to 7-4 after his two-run blast.
• Each team added a solo homer in the fifth frame to make it 8-5 in favor of Albuquerque. Express SS Ezequiel Duran blasted his fifth long ball of the series before SS Connor Kaiser matched with a round tripper of his own.
• Biggers and Strahm would combine to bring the Express within one after a pair of RBI knocks made it 8-7 in the top of the sixth. For the second consecutive inning, the Isotopes answered the Round Rock comeback attempt, this time with back-to-back solo home runs by Bouchard and Montero to make it 10-7.
• Albuquerque’s sixth homer came off the bat of 1B Grant Lavigne to increase the lead at 11-7 which held final.

E-Train Excerpts:

• Round Rock SS Ezequiel Duran launched his fifth long ball of the series en route to a 3-for-5 night with a triple, a home run, an RBI and a run scored. He was a double shy of the cycle.
• Express 1B Blaine Crim extended his on-base streak to 23 games and hitting streak to nine games. He went 1-for-2 with two walks.
• With two hits on Sunday, E-Train CF Dustin Harris now has multiple hits in five consecutive games. Harris went 2-for-5 with a homer, two RBI and a run scored.

Next up: Round Rock returns home to Dell Diamond for a six-game series with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston Astros affiliate). Starting pitchers for Tuesday’s opener have yet to be announced. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. CT.

Single game tickets as well as full season and other 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!