Tacoma Takes a Series Lead With 9-5 Victory Over Round Rock

TACOMA, Washington – The Round Rock Express (10-5) was defeated by the Tacoma Rainiers (7-8) on Saturday night in a 9-5 final at Cheney Stadium. Round Rock hit four home runs in the loss, a feat the team also accomplished on May 8 versus Oklahoma City.

Express starter RHP Sam Gaviglio (1-1, 7.04) took the loss with seven runs on 11 hits, one walk and three strikeouts in his 4.0 innings pitched. LHP Héctor Santiago (1-0, 4.50) got the win for the Rainiers after allowing three runs on six hits while striking out six batters in 5.0 innings.

Round Rock’s scoring started with back-to-back solo home runs in the first inning when 2B Andy Ibáñez and CF Eli White both notched their first Express dingers to left field for an initial 2-0 lead.

Tacoma answered in the bottom of the inning with three runs, including back-to-back homers of their own. LF Jake Fraley hit a leadoff bomb in his second Major League rehab appearance for the Rainiers and was followed by C Luis Torrens, who batted second. DH Cal Raleigh scored a third for Tacoma on a base hit from 1B Sam Travis.

The Express knotted the contest at 3-3 in the fourth inning when a third home run was hit by RF Carl Chester, his first since May 8. The Rainiers regained the lead quickly, though, plating four in the bottom of the inning, starting with two doubles and two singles that scored CF Luis Liberato, 3B Jantzen Witte and SS Jack Reinheimer. After advancing from two singles and a walk, Dillon Thomas, a substitution for Fraley, crossed home for a 7-3 Tacoma lead.

Tacoma extended its lead to six with runs in both the fifth and seventh innings. Witte earned his second run of the night with a solo homer to right field in the bottom of the fifth before Liberato found home again in the seventh after a walk put him on base and a hit from Thomas drove him in.

Round Rock started a ninth inning rally, but it wasn’t enough as the Express collected just two runs. DH Leody Taveras hit his second home run of the series and brought 3B Yonny Hernandez in as well for a team-high two RBI.

Round Rock will look to tie the series on Sunday at Cheney Stadium with a 3:35 p.m. scheduled first pitch. LHP Brock Burke (0-1, 18.00) will get the Express start on the mound against a Rainiers starter to be announced.

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