ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Round Rock Express (37-45) were handed a 7-2 loss at the hands of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (46-35) on Sunday night at Dell Diamond. Express starter LHP Michael Roth (4-4, 3.76) was saddled with the loss after he was struck for six earned runs
ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Round Rock Express (37-45) were handed a 7-2 loss at the hands of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (46-35) on Sunday night at Dell Diamond.
Express starter LHP Michael Roth (4-4, 3.76) was saddled with the loss after he was struck for six earned runs on eight hits through 5.0 innings. Sky Sox reliever RHP Tristan Archer (2-3, 5.76) was awarded the win for tossing 2.1 shutout frames while his offense pulled ahead.
Both teams got on the board early as Colorado Springs 2B Nate Orf and Round Rock RF Scott Heineman traded solo shots in the first. Coming off a red-hot June in which he ran a .302/.396/.490 slash line, Heineman's seventh round-tripper of the season puts the E-Train outfielder on pace to comfortably surpass his nine-homer output as a member of the Frisco RoughRiders in 2017.
Heineman tallied a second hit in his next at-bat during the bottom of the third as he tripled on a sinking line drive that rolled to the wall after it bounced through a dive attempt by Sky Sox CF Tyrone Taylor . Round Rock CF Drew Robinson , who worked a walk earlier in the frame, scored from first base with ease to put the E-Train ahead 2-1. Trying to stretch his triple into an inside-the-park homer, Heineman was gunned down at the plate for the final out of the inning.
After giving up a longball in the first, Roth cruised through the next two innings before Colorado Springs pounced for five total runs in the fourth and fifth. Following an Orf double, RF Domingo Santana ripped an RBI single to right field that reset the score at 2-2. With Santana standing at first base, 1B Jacob Nottingham and C Christian Bethancourt blasted back-to-back home runs to put the visitors up 5-2.
In the fifth, Orf returned to launch his second solo homer and third extra-base hit of the evening off Roth to give the Sky Sox a 6-2 advantage.
Topping off the scoring in the top of the seventh, Taylor crushed the fifth Colorado Springs homer the night as he connected on a solo shot off Express reliver RHP Chris Jensen to extend the gap 7-2.
Game four of the series will take place on Monday night at Dell Diamond. Round Rock RHP Adrian Sampson (3-3, 5.63) is slated to start on the mound against Colorado Springs RHP Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 3.09). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. CDT. For more information on the Express, visit RoundRockExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter!
