Sugar Land Evens Series with 6-1 Victory Over Round Rock
SUGAR LAND, Texas – The Sugar Land Skeeters (75-54) evened the series at two games apiece as they used three dingers to defeat the Round Rock Express (66-62) at Constellation Field on Saturday night. Round Rock RHP Kohei Arihara (0-1, 11.17) was tagged with the loss after his 4.0-inning start
SUGAR LAND, Texas – The Sugar Land Skeeters (75-54) evened the series at two games apiece as they used three dingers to defeat the Round Rock Express (66-62) at Constellation Field on Saturday night.
Round Rock RHP Kohei Arihara (0-1, 11.17) was tagged with the loss after his 4.0-inning start saw five of the Skeeters’ six total runs on four hits and one walk. Sugar Land RHP Jon Olczak (2-1, 4.34) played to the win with 2.0 scoreless frames of relief in which he recorded two strikeouts.
The first three innings saw hitters retired in order three different times, including twice by Arihara, before the Skeeters tallied five of their runs in the bottom of the fourth.
SS Jeremy Peña hit a leadoff home run for Sugar Land to start the frame’s scoring. Singles from both LF Ronnie Dawson and DH Korey Lee put two runners on base with two out before C Garrett Stubbs worked a walk that loaded the bases. In the next at-bat, 2B Robel Garcia blasted a grand slam into right field to clear the bases and make it a 5-0 contest.
The Skeeters added an insurance run in the next inning when 1B Taylor Jones went yard on the first pitch he saw, increasing the home team’s advantage to 6-0.
Express C Yohel Pozo helped the good guys avoid the shutout as he led off the seventh with a solo homer to left field. Two more Round Rock batters reached base during the frame, but they couldn’t find home with the team’s best chance to add to the night’s total.
Round Rock RHPs Chase Anderson and Luis Ortiz worked to finish the game with two 1-2-3 innings to keep Sugar Land off base past the sixth.
Round Rock and Sugar Land close out the 2021 season on Sunday afternoon in game five at Constellation Field. Skeeters RHP Brett Conine (2-3, 5.40) is slated to make the start up against an Express pitcher to be announced. Tomorrow’s first pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.
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