OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma - The Round Rock Express (51-37) fell victim to a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Dodgers (37-50) by final scores of 1-0 and 4-3 on Friday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The consecutive defeats mark the first time the Express have been swept
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma - The Round Rock Express (51-37) fell victim to a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Dodgers (37-50) by final scores of 1-0 and 4-3 on Friday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The consecutive defeats mark the first time the Express have been swept in a doubleheader since August 10, 2014 against the Nashville Sounds, as well as the first time this season the team has fallen to 0-3 in a series.
In game one, the Oklahoma City's pitching staff combined for a two-hit shutout of the Express while collecting a narrow 1-0 victory. The game's lone run came in the third inning when a triple off the bat of SS Gavin Lux was immediately singled home by DH Zach Reks .
Round Rock's only hits in game one came via a pair of singles from 3B Nick Tanielu and SS Josh Rojas. Dodgers RHP Mitchell White (3-4, 5.98) retired 11 straight Express hitters at one point while fanning three to earn the win following a 5.2-inning start. Round Rock LHP Ryan Hartman (5-4, 4.86) suffered a tough-luck loss after a solid 5.0-inning start in which he allowed only one run on four hits while fanning seven.
In game two, Rojas wasted no time putting Round Rock ahead of Oklahoma City as he notched a single, stole second base, advanced to third on a Derek Fisher ground out and hustled home via a passed ball by Dodgers C Josh Thole.
However, OKC 1B Connor Joe worked a leadoff walk in the home half that was quickly plated by CF DJ Peters ' second home run of the season, putting the Dodgers ahead 2-1. Round Rock pushed back in the third as Fisher doubled prior to a Mayfield single. A throwing error by 3B Angelo Mora then allowed Fisher to score and level the score at two.
Not to be outdone, Peters and DH Shane Peterson notched a pair of fifth-inning singles before racing to third and home respectively on a 2B Jake Peter double. Peterson then drove in the Dodgers' fourth run of the night thanks to a Drew Jackson sacrifice fly to widen the gap to 4-2.
To begin the sixth, Round Rock 1B Taylor Jones singled and CF Drew Ferguson jumped aboard after working a walk. RF Kyle Tucker then used an RBI single to knock in Jones and bring the E-Train within 4-3. Ultimately, Round Rock could not find the necessary hits to level the score, resulting in a 4-3 loss and a doubleheader sweep.
Express RHP Carson LaRue (0-1, 6.00) pitched a complete 6.0-inning game in his Triple-A debut but suffered the loss after surrendering four runs on five hits and a walk. The starter piled on five strikeouts in his first outing. On the winning side, RHP J.D. Martin (2-0, 3.75) allowed three runs, only one of which was earned, on seven E-Train hits in a 5.0-inning start.
Round Rock searches for their first win of the series in game four on Saturday night. Express RHP Brandon Bielak (2-3, 6.16) is scheduled to start while the Dodgers plan to counter with RHP Rob Zastryzny (2-3, 6.59). First pitch at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is set for 7:05 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
