Express See 5-3 Loss to Sugar Land in Tuesday Night’s Series Opener 

SUGAR LAND, Texas – The Round Rock Express (25-20) comeback attempt fell short on Tuesday night as they dropped the series opener to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (30-16), 5-3, at Constellation Field.

Round Rock starter RHP Adrian Sampson (5-2, 4.53) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on six hits and one walk with four strikeouts during his 5.0 innings of work. Sugar Land starter RHP Misael Tamarez (4-3, 6.70) got the win with 5.0 shutout innings that saw four hits and four Ks. Space Cowboys RHP Wander Suero locked in a save despite allowing one run and two hits during the ninth inning.

Along the Train Tracks:

• Sugar Land put the first runner across in the bottom of the second inning. CF Pedro León knocked a leadoff single, advanced to second base on a balk, found third on a César Salazar groundout and gave the home team a 1-0 lead thanks to a sacrifice fly from LF Cooper Hummel.
• Two more runs scored for the Space Cowboys in the fourth as 3B Shay Whitcomb hit a two-run home run that scored LF Will Wagner for a 3-0 lead.
• Sugar Land RF Quincy Hamilton made it a 4-0 game with a solo dinger in the fifth inning.
• Round Rock avoided the shutout thanks to a solo home run from RF Sandro Fabian in the top of the sixth.
• León responded with a shot of his own in the bottom of the inning, stretching the Space Cowboys lead to 5-1.
• The Express worked at a comeback with one run in both the eighth and ninth innings. In the eighth, Fabian scored 1B Jantzen Witte with a single. The ninth saw a one-out home run from 3B Matt Duffy that trimmed the lead to 5-3. Two more Round Rock runners got on base with a single and error, but couldn’t find home.

E-Train Excerpts:

• The Express bullpen did not allow a run as LHP Jimmy Robbins tossed 2.0 shutout innings and LHP Grant Wolfram threw one. Robbins extended his scoreless streak to 5.1 innings spanning his last four outings while Wolfram upped his to 6.2 innings over five appearances.
• Round Rock 3B Matt Duffy tallied his first home run of the season in what was his sixth appearance of 2024.
• E-Train 1B Jantzen Witte hit 3-for-4 with a double and one run scored. RF Sandro Fabian and 2B Jax Biggers followed, going 2-for-4. Fabian paired a home run, two RBI and one run scored with his hits.

Next up: The Express and Space Cowboys return to Constellation Field for game two of the series on Wednesday night. Round Rock RHP Jack Leiter (1-1, 2.84) is scheduled to get the start up against Sugar Land RHP AJ Blubaugh (3-0, 3.66). First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. CT.

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