Salt Lake Takes Series Finale Over Round Rock  

SALT LAKE, Utah – The Round Rock Express (35-28) fell to the Salt Lake Bees (30-33) on Sunday afternoon by a final score of 8-6 at Smith’s Ballpark.

Round Rock reliever LHP Taylor Hearn (1-2, 4.91) collected the loss after he allowed two earned runs on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts over 1.1 innings. Salt Lake reliever RHP Cam Vieaux (3-3, 4.88) walked away with the win after 2.0 innings of scoreless and hitless baseball which included one strikeout. RHP Andrew Wantz collected the save following a scoreless ninth inning with one walk and one strikeout.

Along the Train Tracks

• The Express offense got started in the first inning. CF Elier Hernandez knocked a single before a double from 3B Justin Foscue put men on second and third base. 1B Blaine Crim hit a sacrifice fly to give the E-Train a 1-0 lead.
• Salt Lake SS David Fletcher led off the home-half of the first inning with a double. DH Trey Cabbage came up next and drilled a two-run homer to give the Bees a 2-1 advantage.
• In the second, the Express got the lead back. Hernandez knocked in 2B Dio Arias with a single to tie the game. After C Matt Whatley was hit by a pitch, RF J.P. Martinez doubled to score two and give the E-Train a 4-2 lead.
• Salt Lake grabbed a run back in the bottom of the second. With LF Preston Palmeiro on third base, 3B Jack López grounded out to score Palmeiro and cut the lead to 4-3.
• In the third inning, SS Jonathan Ornelas ripped a solo home run for Round Rock and the lead grew to 5-3.
• The Bees had an answer in the fifth inning. With Fletcher aboard, 2B Michael Stefanic doubled to tack on another run and the Express led by just one.
• In the top of the sixth, Ornelas roped his second home run of the day and built the lead back to two runs at 6-4.
• The Bees evened the game in the seventh inning. C Zack Humphreys singled home Stefanic and Salt Lake trailed, 6-5. Humphreys came around to score later in the inning on a wild pitch.
• The Bees took the lead in the eighth inning with two more runs. With the bases loaded, Humphreys earned a walk to plate one run. RF Jordyn Adams added another on a single to score Stefanic. The Express couldn’t put together a rally in the ninth inning and fell 8-6.

E-Train Excerpts:

• SS Jonathan Ornelas grabbed his first multi-homer game of the season and the second of his career. He went 2-for-4 with two homers, two runs scored and two RBI. The last time Ornelas posted two home runs in one game came on June 21, 2021 with High-A Hickory.
• Express CF Elier Hernandez extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a 2-for-4 night which included a RBI, two runs scored, a walk and a strikeout.
• Round Rock CF J.P. Martinez finished 1-for-5 with two RBI and three strikeouts. He extended his on-base streak to 27 games which is the second longest active streak in the Pacific Coast League.

Next up: Round Rock will get set for the start of a six-game series with the El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres affiliate) on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. CT from Dell Diamond. Starting pitchers from both teams are to be announced.

Single game tickets as well as full season and mini season membership plans are on sale now. For more information about the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Subscribe to the E-Train email newsletter and keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!