ROUND ROCK, TX - The Iowa Cubs (53-40) used an eight-run fifth inning to take a decisive 11-5 victory over the Round Rock Express (54-39), Saturday at Dell Diamond. In his second start as an I-Cub, Tyson Miller (W, 1-0) captured his first Triple-A victory.
ROUND ROCK, TX - The Iowa Cubs (53-40) used an eight-run fifth inning to take a decisive 11-5 victory over the Round Rock Express (54-39), Saturday at Dell Diamond. In his second start as an I-Cub, Tyson Miller (W, 1-0) captured his first Triple-A victory.
Taylor Davis took a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left-center to lead off the fourth and break a scoreless game. The home run sparked the I-Cubs offense as they sent 12 batters to the plate in the following frame in an explosive eight-run inning. Davis got the scoring started once again with a two-RBI single, and Dixon Machado plated two more with a base knock of his own. Ian Happ brought in Machado with a single and later in the frame, Mark Zagunis cleared juiced bags with a triple.
Miller spun 4.0 no-hit innings before a Drew Ferguson leadoff single in the fifth spoiled the effort. After allowing six runs, five earned, through 1.1 innings in his Triple-A debut last week, Miller bounced back to allow two earned runs through 5.0 frames against the Express. A Jamie Ritchie two-out, two-RBI double in the fifth wasted Miller's shutout outing.
Iowa added two insurance runs in the eighth on RBI singles from Trent Giambrone and Machado. A Taylor Jones three-run blast in the bottom of the inning shrunk the gap for the Express, but the home team fell short of a comeback.
POSTGAME NOTES:
• P.J. Higgins recorded his first Triple-A hit with a single in the fourth. He went 1-for-2 with one run and three walks on the night.
• Carl Edwards Jr. used nine pitches to get through a 1-2-3 inning in his third rehab outing.
• After walking 11 Express batters last night, Iowa's offense walked 12 times.
• Mark Zagunis, Taylor Davis and Dixon Machado each batted in three runs.
Iowa and Round Rock finish the series at Dell Diamond tomorrow at 6:05 p.m. The I-Cubs return to Principal Park for a four-game set with Oklahoma City beginning on Monday, July 15. For more information and tickets visit www.iowacubs.com.
