El Paso Wins Big Over Oklahoma City in Series Opener Tuesday

The El Paso Chihuahuas beat the Oklahoma City Dodgers 15-5 Tuesday night. The Chihuahuas offense rolled for 15 runs on 15 hits and eight walks. El Paso improved to 5-2 against the PCL-leading Dodgers this season. Jared Koenig earned the win (2-2) with two scoreless innings in relief. Oklahoma City starting pitcher William Cuevas earned the loss (2-2).

The game was preceded by a thunderstorm and weather delay that lasted an hour and 12 minutes. Ominous skies could not keep the Chihuahuas down as a trio of standout performances fueled the offense:

-Luis Liberato posted El Paso’s 11th multi-home run game of the season. His second home run was an inside-the-park home run, marking the Chihuahuas first of the season and seventh in team history. He scored three times and collected three RBI.

-Preston Tucker reached base safely in all five appearances with a double and four walks. He raised his on-base percentage to exactly .500 on the season.

-Jose Azocar went 4-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI. He recorded a hit in his first four at-bats of the game.

El Paso took charge early with a four-run second inning. Liberato capped off the spark with a two-run home run for a 4-0 lead. The towering fly ball carried just enough to clip the City Hall Grill overhang in right field.

The Dodgers were swift with a counterpunch. They put together a four-run, two-out, game-tying rally in the top of the third inning. With the bases loaded, Michael Busch cleared the bases with a three-run double. Jahmai Jones knotted the score 4-4 with an RBI single in the next at-bat. Rehabbing second baseman Eguy Rosario helped the Chihuahuas escape danger in his season debut. He ended the inning with a sliding play on the right field grass to retire Oklahoma City’s Ryan Ward.

Taylor Kohlwey answered right back in the bottom of the third inning. He traded another counterpunch with a bases-loaded, two-run single for a 6-4 lead.

Liberato ignited the offense again in the bottom of the fourth inning. To open the four-run frame, he hit an inside-the-park home run for his second homer of the game. The ball was crushed 102 mph and 404 feet to deep center field. It ricocheted off the top of the wall to the middle of the outfield. Manager Phillip Wellman waved the speedy outfielder home and he scored to extend the lead 7-4. In a wild trip around the bases, Liberato clocked a home-to-home time of 16.10 seconds and reached a top sprint speed of 28.9 feet per second.

After the 4-4 tie, El Paso erupted for 11 unanswered runs and a 15-4 lead. The Dodgers Drew Avans cut the deficit 15-5 with a two-out solo home run in the ninth inning.

The Chihuahuas continue their six-game home stand against Oklahoma City Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m. The game can be streamed on MiLB.TV and the radio feed will be on 600 ESPN El Paso.