Round Rock Thumps New Orleans for Game Three Win, 5-1
METAIRIE, LA. - The Round Rock Express (43-29) avoided the broom Thursday night at Zephyr Field, beating the New Orleans Zephyrs (33-38) 5-1. Round Rock ended a two-game losing streak thanks to tenacious pitching and powerful hitting.
Round Rock came storming out of the gate with a lead-off home run from RF Ryan Strausborger on the third pitch of the game, giving the E-Train an immediate 1-0 lead. Strausborger's sixth homer of the season was Round Rock's first to lead off a contest this year. New Orleans starter Pat Misch closed the top half of the first inning with three straight ground outs.
The E-Train continued to roll in the top of the third as 3B Tyler Pastornicky began the inning with his 11th double of the season and was moved to third courtesy of a Strausborger sacrifice bunt. C Tomas Telis struck out swinging for the second out of the inning, but ML rehabber Josh Hamilton provided a RBI single to bring Pastornicky home for the second Round Rock run of the night.
Express starter Jerad Eickhoff held the Zephyrs scoreless through the first three innings, giving up only one hit in the first three acts. The only blemish of Eickhoff's night came in the bottom of the fourth as New Orleans DH Kila Ka'aihue took the Round Rock righty to right field with a solo home run, putting the first and only Zephyrs run on the board. Eickhoff gave up a single after the blast, but used a fly out to deflate any New Orleans momentum shift.
Pastornicky and Strausborger used back-to-back one-out singles in the top of the fifth to put two on for Telis. Telis flied out for the second out of the inning, but Hamilton continued to flourish in his rehabilitation with another RBI single that brought Pastornicky home for a 3-1 Express lead. The fifth proved to be the final inning for Misch (4-7, 3.71) as the New Orleans southpaw went 5.0 innings with eight hits, three runs (three earned) and four strikeouts.
The Round Rock offensive surge persisted in the sixth inning as 2B Tommy Field got aboard with a one-out walk, brining CF Jared Hoying to the plate. Hoying supplied the dagger with his 12th homer of the season, taking New Orleans LHP Travis Blackley to right center, scoring Field and extending the Express lead to 5-1.
Eickhoff's (5-3, 4.13) night came to an end after 6.0 innings of work with five hits, one run (earned), three walks and five Ks. The victory ended Eickhoff's streak of no decisions at four.
The E-Train bullpen solidified the win as ML rehabber Neftali Feliz, LHP Jimmy Reyes and LHP Will Lamb threw a combined three shutout innings with no hits against and two strikeouts.
Hamilton finished the night 2-for-3 with two RBIs in his first game back with Round Rock. Fellow rehabber Feliz went 1.1 inning with one K in the ninth appearance of his rehabilitation.
Round Rock heads to Omaha for a four-game series with the Storm Chasers, starting tomorrow night with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch.
For tickets and more information on the Express, visit www.RoundRockExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Follow the Express on Facebook and Twitter!