Oklahoma City Claims First Win of Series Over Round Rock

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Round Rock Express (59-51) dropped its first game of the series to the Oklahoma City Dodgers (63-47) on Saturday night as the home team used a five-run eighth inning to win 9-5 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

Round Rock reliever RHP Daniel Robert (0-3, 7.01) was tagged with a blown-save loss after being credited with five earned runs, two hits and three walks during 0.1 innings on the mound. Oklahoma City reliever RHP Jake Reed (2-0, 0.00) earned the win after 1.0 frame that saw one hit.

Along the Train Tracks:

• Round Rock plated the night’s first runs and took a 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks to home runs. DH Josh Jung went yard first to score LF Mark Mathias, who had reached on a one-out single. 1B Andy Ibáñez followed Jung’s at-bat with a solo shot to left field.
• The Dodgers cut the Express lead to 3-2 in the fourth when CF Drew Avans and 3B Miguel Vargas knocked a single and drew a walk, respectively, then both crossed home on a single from 1B Ryan Noda.
• The seventh inning saw the E-Train extend its lead to 5-2 with the team’s third home run of the night. RF Sandro Fabian reached base with a leadoff double before Mathias launched his first Round Rock home run to score the pair.
• Oklahoma City started chipping away at the lead, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh. A hit batter, walk and wild pitch put 2B Devin Mann and Avans in scoring position. Mann scored as DH Edwin Rios grounded out before a Vargas single scored Avans and made it a 5-4 game.
• The Dodgers took over the lead with a five-run eighth inning. Noda scored first when C Tomás Telis singled. Next across home plate was SS Jacob Amaya, who scored when Avans worked a bases-loaded walk. After a pitching change, Rios sent Telis and Mann home with a two-RBI single. The action concluded when Vargas grounded into a force out to score Avans and take a 9-5 lead.

E-Train Excerpts:

• Both LF Mark Mathias and DH Josh Jung notched multi-hit performances that each featured a home run. Mathias’ dinger was his first since joining Round Rock on August 3 while Jung went yard for the second time in four games since returning from the team’s 60-day Injured List.
• Express LHP Dallas Keuchel tossed 6.0 innings in his third start since joining the team on July 26. The lefty allowed two earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out six.
• Round Rock RHP Chase Lee finished his 0.2 innings of relief without allowing an earned run to extend his scoreless streak to 10.0 frames. RHP Demarcus Evans also escaped without allowing an earned run during his 0.2 innings that closed out the game.

Next up: Sunday’s series finale between Round Rock and Oklahoma City is set for a 6:05 p.m. first pitch at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Express RHP Tyson Miller (2-5, 4.94) is slated to start against Los Angeles Dodgers rehabber RHP Dustin May (0-0, 1.93).

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