Express ride pair of Gallo homers to win

It was late. Express players were getting tired. Joey Gallo had just the solution.

Texas' top prospect hammered his second home run of the night, a go-ahead shot to lead off the 12th inning, as Triple-A Round Rock edged Memphis, 6-5, on Monday night at AutoZone Park.

"It was a new pitcher [Heath Wyatt], 12th inning, so I kind of wanted to get out of there," Gallo said. "I thought if I could get a pitch I could drive, we could take the lead. I was able to take that first pitch and just kind of jumped on it. I wanted to get on base, but if I saw a pitch I could drive, I wanted to take advantage of it."

That seventh long ball of the season tied him with No. 5 Orioles prospect Trey Mancini and Mariners farmhand Mike Zunino for most in the Minor Leagues.

"You start getting tired, and the team starts getting tired late in the game," Gallo said. "Obviously with extra innings, it's getting late. It starts getting a little tougher to score runs, and it's nice to have power hitters. We have a few of them that can go up, and with one swing of the bat, change a game. I know with the power I have, I'm going to go up there and look for something I can drive. If I don't get it, I'm going to have to be patient, but I definitely go up there and try to give my team an advantage. I know I have that power, so I can use it."

Roughly three-and-a-half hours earlier, Gallo had a hand in building an early Express advantage. In the first inning, former top Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar mashed a one-out solo shot to right field, and after Jared Hoying walked, MLB.com's No. 7 overall prospect belted a two-run homer to center.

"I just kind of worked the count," Gallo said. "I think it was a 3-2 changeup, pretty good pitch actually. It was a little down, but I was able to get the barrel to it. With a two-strike approach, I was just trying to get the bat to the ball and squared it up. I was kind of lucky with that. It was a good at-bat for me and for Profar too, getting his first. It was good for him."

The Las Vegas native has been a model of consistency for the Express so far this season, his second tour through Triple-A. Monday's performance marked Gallo's third multi-homer game of the season, a Round Rock franchise record for April. The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder has reached base in every game and walked at least once in nine of his last 10. Gallo's Monday mashing followed an 0-for-3 game Sunday in which he walked twice.

"The walks are kind of keeping me level-headed," he said. "Going 0-for-3 with two walks makes you feel a little bit better. You're getting on base. You're helping your team win still, even if you're not getting hits. That's big for me, being able to draw walks and understand when pitchers are going to pitch to me and when they're not."

Gallo reached the Major Leagues for the first time last June 2 and debuted with an unforgettable 3-for-4 day that included his first big league home run. But the rest of the season was a mixed bag. The third baseman batted .204/.301/.417 with six homers in 36 Major League games and split 87 Minor League contests between Round Rock and Double-A Frisco. In the Minors, Gallo hit just .240/.342/.520 with 23 blasts, but the hectic nature of last season laid the groundwork for this one.

"I've been trying to stay even-keeled. I learned from last year," he said. "I learned a lot from last year, kind of being on that roller-coaster of ups and downs. Going 0-for-3, I'd usually be mad at myself and try to go out here and force myself to get hits. (This year) I just come out here with the same approach every day, just fight, compete at the plate, get pitches to hit that you can drive and just repeatedly do that. It's still the third week, so it's still easy. The test is when it comes three months in."

Memphis rallied to take a 5-3 lead into the eighth, when the Express tied the score on a double to left by Justin Ruggiano and an RBI single to center by Ike Davis.

Round Rock relievers Luke Jackson -- the Rangers' No. 17 prospect -- Francisco Mendoza and Carlos Fisher (1-0) held the line with five hitless innings to set up Gallo's game-winner.

"That's what it's all about," Gallo said. "Obviously, we're the visiting team, so one swing, one bad pitch can end that game. Those guys came out and they knew what they had to do. They kept the ball on the ground. Guys were hitting the ball soft. They had a guy on third with one out at one point in the bottom of the ninth, and we were able to hold them. That's huge. It gives our offense a chance to win that game."