E-Train Implodes Late, I-Cubs Take Game Three 5-4
DES MOINES, IA - The Round Rock Express (46-33) gave up a late-inning lead for the second game in a row Thursday night at Principal Park, falling to the Iowa Cubs (42-37) 5-4. The Express took a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth before the Cubs rallied to seal its second win of the series.
Iowa 3B Mike Olt committed a fielding error to start the second inning that resulted in Round Rock LF Michael Choice standing on first with no outs. SS Tommy Field then singled off Iowa starter Drake Britton to put runners on first and second with CF Jared Hoying coming to the plate. Hoying ripped the first pitch he saw from Britton for his 13th double of the season, bringing in the first run of the game. C Tomas Telis followed with a RBI of his own that scored Field to make it a 2-0 contest and put Hoying on third, still with no outs on the board. Britton finally gained some composure by striking out 1B Chris Gimenez. A Tyler Pastornicky ground out shuffled Hoying home for the third run of the night and moved Telis to second. ML rehabber Delino DeShields joined the action with a RBI double to score Telis and extend the Express lead to 4-0. Britton escaped the bombardment by striking out RF Ryan Strausborger.
The I-Cubs responded in the latter half of the inning as ML rehabber Martin Perez gave up a lead-off single to Olt. Perez manufactured back-to-back Ks, both swinging, to put two outs in his pocket. Former Texas Longhorn and Iowa C Taylor Teagarden salvaged the Cubs inning by recording his third double of the season, scoring Olt in the process to make the score 4-1. Perez used his third strikeout of the inning and fourth of the game to end the second three pitches later.
Perez surrendered consecutive singles to open the bottom of the third, allowing Cubs to inhabit first and second base. The Round Rock southpaw then issued a walk to load the bases for DH Kyle Schwarber. Perez fell behind 2-0, but stormed back to send Schwarber down looking for out number one. The impending damage finally arrived when Iowa posted its second and third runs off of an Olt single and a Gallo throwing error to inch closer, 4-3. Perez went on to toss another walk, but finished the third with an inning-ending double play.
Perez's (0-0, 4.50) second rehab start with Round Rock came to an end after 4.0 innings pitched with five hits, three runs (three earned), two walks and five strikeouts. LHP Will Lamb took over for Perez to start the bottom of the fifth inning. Lamb allowed back-to-back one out singles, but used a double play to send the game into the sixth. The fifth proved to be Lamb's only inning of work as RHP Phil Klein came in for the southpaw in the sixth. Klein and LHP Jimmy Reyes each threw shutout innings to take the contest into the eighth and set the table for LHP Alex Claudio.
Claudio was lit for a double by Olt to start his outing and gave up the tying run as LF Junior Lake supplied the RBI single. Lake tried to advance to second on a Strausborger fielding error, but the Round Rock right fielder redeemed himself with an outfield assist for the first out. Claudio picked up the second out with a ground out, but gave up back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. A mound visit proved futile as Iowa SS Jonathan Mota plugged the go-ahead RBI single that brought Teagarden across the plate for a 5-4 Iowa lead.
Cubs RHP Gonzalez Germen sent the Express down in order to wrap up game three and give Iowa the 5-4 victory.
DeShields finished his fifth rehab game 2-for-5 with two doubles and a RBI.
The Express and I-Cubs finish the series tomorrow night as RHP Stolmy Pimentel (2-2, 6.39) toes the rubber against Cubs RHP Felipe Paulino (1-4, 5.13). First pitch is set for 7:08 p.m. at Principal Park.
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