SUMMERLIN, Nevada - The Round Rock Express (34-24) suffered their toughest loss of the year in their series opener against the Las Vegas Aviators (33-26) on Tuesday night at Las Vegas Ballpark. The Express launched four home runs, but the feat was overshadowed but 22 Aviators hits in a 19-9
SUMMERLIN, Nevada - The Round Rock Express (34-24) suffered their toughest loss of the year in their series opener against the Las Vegas Aviators (33-26) on Tuesday night at Las Vegas Ballpark. The Express launched four home runs, but the feat was overshadowed but 22 Aviators hits in a 19-9 defeat.
Express RHP Brandon Bielak (0-1, 14.73) suffered the loss after surrendering nine runs on eight hits and two walks in a 1.1 inning start. On the winning side, RHP Miguel Romero (2-0, 4.23) held Round Rock to only one run on one hit in 2.2 innings out of the Las Vegas bullpen.
Round Rock opened scoring early in the game as SS Alex De Goti notched a leadoff double prior to a Josh Rojas walk. LF Yordan Alvarez then smoked his 21st longball of the season out of Las Vegas Ballpark for an early 3-0 lead. The homer ties Alvarez with Milwaukee OF Christian Yelich for the most in all of affiliated baseball, and marks Round Rock's 100th of the young season. With the team's 100th homer of the year coming on June 4, the Express set a new franchise record for fewest games needed to hit the century mark in home runs.
Las Vegas quickly fired back in the home half as LF Nick Martini matched De Goti's leadoff double, then RF Dustin Fowler worked a walk prior to a Nick Brown single. The trio eventually tied the game at three with an Eric Campbell RBI groundout and a Sheldon Neuse two-run double.
The E-Train grabbed a quick 4-3 lead in the second as De Goti singled home 3B Nick Tanielu , who previously reached base on a single and advanced to second on a Jamie Ritchie walk.
However, the Aviators poured it on in the next half inning, using a leadoff home run from 2B Franklin Barreto , four singles and two doubles to knock in seven runs before the Express could retire the inning. The home team didn't let up in the third, notching a single, a pair of doubles, two walks and Fowler's eighth home run of the year to widen the gap to 18-4. By the end of the fourth inning, Barreto had singled home one more to reach 19 total Aviators runs.
From there the E-Train slowly crept back, starting with RF Kyle Tucker 's first bomb of the evening in the fifth inning. In the next plate appearance, Rojas worked a walk then eventually scored on an AJ Reed groundout. In the seventh, Tucker struck again, crushing his 18th home run of the year before a Taylor Jones bomb in the next inning, both of which landed in the Las Vegas Ballpark swimming pool, trimmed the gap to 19-8.
In the final frame, De Goti opened with a triple and raced home on a Tucker sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 19-9, but a late comeback was far out of reach for Round Rock.
The Express look to fire back after the tough loss as they face the Aviators in game two on Wednesday night. Round Rock RHP Akeem Bostick (3-2, 5.26) is set to start opposite Las Vegas RHP Parker Dunshee (1-2, 4.91). First pitch at Las Vegas Ballpark is scheduled for 9:05 p.m.
For more information on the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and join the conversation during our historic 20th season using #20STROng.
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Round Rock Express Baseball, owned and operated by Ryan Sanders Baseball, LP, is the proud Triple-A Affiliate of the Houston Astros and a member of the Pacific Coast League
