ROUND ROCK, Texas – The Sugar Land Space Cowboys (28-36) continued their winning ways with a 6-5 victory over the Round Rock Express (33-31) on Friday evening at Dell Diamond. Round Rock has lost five consecutive games for the first time this year.

RHP Brett Conine (3-1, 5.98) earned the win for Sugar Land after tossing 5.0 innings and allowing only three runs on four hits. He struck out two and walked three. Round Rock RHP Kohei Arihara (2-4, 5.63) earned the loss after 5.0 innings of work that saw four earned runs on nine hits. He did not issue a walk and struck out five.

RHP JP France collected his first save of the year. He pitched 3.0 innings and allowed two earned runs in the ninth inning. He struck out four and walked only one.

Along the Train Tracks:

• Sugar Land jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. After a leadoff single for CF Jake Meyers, 3B Corey Julks struck out. 1B Enmanuel Valdez came up next and cracked a 380-foot home run to right field.

• The E-Train answered in the bottom of the first frame. With two outs, C Meibrys Viloria earned a walk. LF Willie Calhoun belted his fifth home run of the season on a 1-2 pitch and tied the game at two.

• Sugar Land untied the game in the third inning. Julks doubled down the left field line and advanced to third base on a fly out from Valdez. DH Taylor Jones delivered a two out single and the Space Cowboys led 3-2.

• The Express responded in the fourth inning. RF Steele Walker received a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. 2B Nick Tanielu provided a double with two outs and scored Walker to level the score at three.

• The Space Cowboys offense scratched another run across in the fifth inning. LF Alex McKenna doubled to start the inning. A single from Myers advanced McKenna to third base. Valdez smacked a one out single to score McKenna and Sugar Land held a 4-3 advantage.

• The Space Cowboys added to their lead in the sixth inning. With one out, 2B Pedro León hit a double and SS Alex De Goti walked. C Scott Manaea belted a single up the middle to score both runners and extend the lead to 6-3.

• 1B Josh Sale cranked his fourth home run of the season in the ninth inning for the Express. His solo bomb, with one out, brought Round Rock within two runs.

• Trailing 6-4 in the ninth frame, Tanielu doubled to keep the comeback alive. He advanced to third base on a wild pitch and SS Ryan Dorow smacked a sacrifice fly. Round Rock trailed 6-5, but RHP JP France earned the final out of the night to secure the one-run victory for Sugar Land.

  E-Train Excerpts:

• RHP Kohei Arihara went 5.0 innings and allowed four runs on nine hits. He struck out five and did not issue a walk. Arihara has tossed at least 5.0 innings in each of his last two starts. Friday marked the fifth time he has gone at least 5.0 innings in a start this year.

• LF Willie Calhoun hit his fifth home run of the season on Friday night and finished 1-for-4 with a home run, a run scored and two RBI. It was his first home run since June 1st against Oklahoma City.

• 1B Josh Sale belted his fourth home run of the season on Friday night. Sale finished 2-for-4 with a home run, a run scored and a RBI. The lefty is 12-for-32 to start his Triple-A career.

• The Express have lost five consecutive games and have now lost the first four games of the six-game series with Sugar Land. The Space Cowboys have won six consecutive games. Round Rock has never been swept in a six-game series in franchise history.

Next up: The Express return on Saturday night in game five of the series to take on the Space Cowboys at 6:05 p.m. Round Rock RHP Cole Winn (4-0, 5.33) is slated to make the start up against Sugar Land RHP Hunter Brown (3-3, 2.25).

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!

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