Round Rock Falls to Sacramento 10-8 in Game Two

ROUND ROCK, Texas – The Sacramento River Cats (42-53) used the final four innings to overcome an 8-0 deficit and defeat the Round Rock Express (50-45) by a final score of 10-8 on Wednesday night at Dell Diamond.

Round Rock LHP John King (0-1, 9.82) was tagged with the loss after allowing five earned runs on three hits and three walks during his 0.2-inning relief outing. Sacramento RHP R.J. Dabovich (2-0, 4.32) earned the win after finishing his 1.0 inning out of the bullpen with two strikeouts. River Cats RHP Shelby Miller clinched his first save of the season with a 1.1-inning appearance that saw two walks and two punchouts.

Along the Train Tracks:

• Round Rock came out with bats on fire in the second inning to claim an early 7-0 lead. After 3B Nick Tanielu worked a one-out walk, C Matt Whatley drew a walk with two outs. CF Bubba Thompson sent both of his teammates home with a double to left field, giving the Express a 2-0 lead. In the next at-bat, LF Steven Duggar switched places with Thompson to make it a 3-0 game.
• With Duggar on second, 1B Andy Ibáñez drew a walk and RF Josh Sale was hit by a pitch, which loaded the bases. A single from DH Sam Huff scored Duggar before a three-RBI double from 2B Diosbel Arias sent Ibáñez, Sale and Huff across home plate for the 7-0 advantage.
• The Express added to its total when SS Ryan Dorow hit a solo home run that traveled 421 feet, extending the lead to 8-0 in the third frame.
• Sacramento’s first run of the night came in the sixth and trimmed Round Rock’s lead to 8-1. LF Willie Calhoun hit a solo shot into the River Cats bullpen for the score.
• 3B Wyatt Mathisen was responsible for three more Sacramento runs as he hit a home run to score RF Austin Dean and DH Ka`ai Tom, who had worked back-to-back walks to start the seventh inning.
• The River Cats worked at a comeback, plating five runs in the top of the eighth inning. After 2B Isan Díaz drew a one-out walk, he found third thanks to a single from Dean. Tom loaded the bases with a walk before Díaz and Dean scored as Mathisen knocked a two-RBI single. CF Bryce Johnson gave Sacramento a 9-8 lead with a three-run home run that scored Tom and Mathisen.
• Sacramento tacked on an insurance run in the ninth when Díaz singled with two outs then scored as Dean hit a double. The run made it a 10-8 game, which held to be final.

E-Train Excerpts:

• Express SS Ryan Dorow hit his third home run of the season on Wednesday night and first since May 8 in Reno. The infielder has played in 45 games and recorded 152 at-bats since his last dinger.
• Round Rock RHP Tyson Miller posted a 5.0-inning shutout to start the game. The righty allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out six batters. He tossed 78 total pitches, 54 of which were strikes.
• Both RF Josh Sale and 2B Diosbel Arias recorded multi-hit nights as they both finished 2-for-4 with one single and one double. Multi-RBI performances came from Arias, who finished with three, and CF Bubba Thompson, who drove in two runs.
• Round Rock drew a season-high 12 walks on Wednesday night. C Matt Whatley led the way with three free passes and was followed by 1B Andy Ibáñez and 3B Nick Tanielu, who both earned two. All but two E-Train batters were walked at least once.

Next up: The two teams will play for game three of the six-game series at Dell Diamond on Thursday night. Express RHP Kohei Arihara (2-4, 5.40) is scheduled to start against a River Cats pitcher to be determined. Tomorrow’s first pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

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