Round Rock Closes Out Season with Huge Win Over Sugar Land

SUGAR LAND, Texas – The Round Rock Express (67-62) earned a 14-4 victory in Sunday afternoon’s season finale as they claimed a series win over the Sugar Land Skeeters (75-55) at Constellation Field. The E-Train hit four home runs and had six batters record multi-hit games en route to the win.

Round Rock reliever RHP Demarcus Evans (2-0, 3.74) earned the season’s final win with a 1.0-inning performance that saw three runs, two earned, on one hit and two walks. On the losing side, Sugar Land starter RHP Brett Conine (8-4, 5.66) allowed 10 runs, six earned, on nine hits and one walk through 2.2 frames on the bump.

The Express posted their first big inning of the day with five runs in the second. With one out, 3B Davis Wendzel was hit by a pitch before C Jack Kruger reached base on a Skeeters error. RF Carl Chester and DH Jose Felix knocked back-to-back singles to score Wendzel and Kruger, respectively, for a 2-0 lead.

After a pop out tallied the inning’s second with two still on base, 1B Charles Leblanc extended Round Rock’s lead to 5-0 with a home run on the first pitch he saw to bring Chester and Felix in with him.

Just an inning later, the good guys doubled their total with the second big inning of the contest. Kruger brought the third frame’s first runs home with a dinger that also scored Wendzel, who had hit a leadoff double. Felix then hit a one-out single before crossing home thanks to Leblanc’s second home run in as many at-bats. 2B Domingo Leyba rounded out the action with a solo homer to increase the gap to 10-0.

Sugar Land brought their first runs home in the fifth when they loaded the bases on two drawn walks and an error. As DH Taylor Jones worked a third walk, CF Pedro León was pushed across home. Runners continued around the bases as a C.J. Hinojosa single scored 2B Alex De Goti before a Marty Costes sacrifice fly scored SS Jeremy Peña. Round Rock turned a double play to end the inning as the Skeeters made it a 10-3 contest.

The home team scored a fourth run in the sixth as LF J.J. Matijevic drew a leadoff walk before crossing home plate thanks to a double from Hinojosa. Three straight outs kept Hinojosa from scoring as the Express led 10-4.

Round Rock’s third and final big inning came in the eighth as the team added four more runs to cap off the afternoon. After working a leadoff walk, Wendzel moved to third then scored on consecutive singles from Kruger and Chester. Felix loaded the bases with a base hit before a walk from SS Trace Loehr sent Kruger home.

After a Sugar Land pitching change, Leblanc tallied his sixth RBI of the game as he grounded into a force out to score Chester. The E-Train’s fourth run scored when Leyba singled to right field, scoring Felix and regaining a 10-run lead.

Express RHPs Jake Lemoine and Buck Farmer closed out the contest on the mound as they each retired the Skeeters in order during the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. The impressive 14-4 performance from Round Rock clinched the final series against Sugar Land and ended the 2021 season with a victory.

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!