Round Rock Cruises to 12-1 Win Over Oklahoma City 

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Round Rock Express (58-50) recorded a 12-1 victory on Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Dodgers (62-46) at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The win secured a series split as the Express jumped ahead 3-0 in the six-game set.

Round Rock RHP A.J. Alexy (6-5, 6.50) earned the win as he tossed 3.0 innings out of the bullpen and allowed two hits and two walks while striking out five batters. Oklahoma City RHP Michael Grove (0-3, 4.50) went home with the loss after a 3.2-inning start that saw two runs, one of which was earned, on three hits and two walks while recording four punchouts.

Along the Train Tracks:

• After two scoreless frames, Round Rock plated the game’s first run in the top of the third. SS Ryan Dorow reached first base on an Oklahoma City error before moving to second on a groundout and third on a J.P. Martinez single. Dorow came home thanks to a sacrifice fly from LF Mark Mathias.
• The Dodgers evened the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the inning when CF Drew Avans hit a leadoff triple then scored as LF Michael Busch hit a sacrifice fly.
• Express C Sam Huff rounded the bases in the fourth thanks to a walk, wild pitch, Josh Sale single and a Diosbel Arias sacrifice fly. Huff kept things moving in the fifth when he drove Mathias home with an RBI-single for a 3-1 lead.
• The seventh inning saw eight total runs score for Round Rock as the E-Train increased their lead to 11-1. RF Sandro Fabian knocked a leadoff single and scored the frame’s first run as Mathias and 3B Josh Jung hit consecutive one-out singles. A walk from Huff loaded the bases before a three-RBI double from Sale cleared them.
• After a pitching change for Oklahoma City, 1B Nick Tanielu made it all the way to third base on a fielding error before Sale was tagged out at home. Scoring continued as Arias doubled to score Tanielu, Dorow singled to score Arias and Fabian hit a two-run home run. Martinez struck out to end the inning.
• The E-Train extended its lead to 12-1 with one final run in the eighth when Jung hit a one-out single then scored thanks to a double from Huff. Round Rock held Oklahoma City scoreless through the final two innings to end the contest.

E-Train Excerpts:

• Round Rock’s eight-run seventh inning on Thursday marked the team’s highest-scoring inning of the season. The E-Train’s previous single-inning high was seven runs.
• The Express bullpen combined for 5.0 scoreless innings that saw three hits, three walks and seven strikeouts. Along with RHP A.J. Alexy’s winning performance, RHP James Jones punched out two batters during one inning while RHP Yerry Rodriguez allowed one walk during a shutout ninth frame.
• Round Rock tied its season-high with two sacrifice flies during Thursday’s game. 2B Diosbel Arias and LF Mark Mathias each earned an RBI with their flyballs.
• All nine batters in the Express lineup tallied at least one hit as Round Rock reached the 15-hit mark for the eighth time this season. DH Josh Sale led the way with three hits while LF Mark Mathias, 3B Josh Jung, C Sam Huff and RF Sandro Fabian all totaled two.
• Sale added to his performance with a team-high three RBI. Huff and Fabian joined the multi-RBI crew with two apiece.

Next up: Round Rock looks to clinch a series win in game four against Oklahoma City on Friday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Express RHP Cole Winn (7-2, 5.72) is slated to start on the bump against Dodgers RHP Andre Jackson (1-6, 5.20). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT.

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