Round Rock Drops Friday Night Contest to El Paso, 14-3
HOW IT HAPPENED: After both teams were held without a run through the first two innings, the Chihuahuas broke the tie with five runs in the third. DH Nate Mondou reached on a ground-rule double, and 2B Samad Taylor worked a walk. 3B Marcos Castañon, who came into the game
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After both teams were held without a run through the first two innings, the Chihuahuas broke the tie with five runs in the third. DH Nate Mondou reached on a ground-rule double, and 2B Samad Taylor worked a walk. 3B Marcos Castañon, who came into the game as a pinch-hitter, knocked in both runners with a double to give El Paso a 2-0 edge. 1B Nick Solak followed with a single, and RF Jase Bowen capped off the inning with a three-run home run to grow the lead to five.
C Anthony Vilar belted a solo home run in the fourth inning to extend the advantage to six.
El Paso exploded for another five runs courtesy of four straight hits in the fifth. Bowen walked and later scored on an RBI single by LF Will Wagner. SS Mason McCoy singled to put runners on first and second for CF Carlos Rodriguez, who tripled, scoring both runners and making it a nine-run advantage for the Chihuahuas. Mondou closed out the inning with a two-run home run, extending the El Paso lead to eleven.
The Chihuahuas added a trio of runs in the sixth with a two-run home run by Solak and a sacrifice fly by Rodriguez to grow the Round Rock deficit to 14.
The Express broke the shutout bid with a solo home run from CF Gilberto Celestino to make it a 14-1 game.
DH Nick Pratto hit a two-run home run in the ninth to cut the deficit to eleven, but the Express fall on Friday night by a score of 14-3.
E-TRAIN EXCERPTS:
WHERE WE STAND: The Express are now tied at 2-2 in the series with El Paso heading into the final 2 games...are now 13 G below .500 which is the second-worst start in club history (17-32 in 2003) and the worst start through 49 games in the Triple-A era…have not won three consecutive games since April 19-23.
RHP JOSH STEPHAN: (L, 4.1 IP, 9 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO, 3 HR, 78 pitches, 48 strikes) started his 10th game of the season for the Express… leads all Express starters with 10 starts… In his previous three starts, the right-hander was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 20 SO.
RHP JOE ROSS: (ND, 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 33 pitches, 21 strikes) made his Express debut on Friday night… signed by the Rangers on May 22nd after being released by Arizona… allowed a run for the first time in his last three outings while with Triple-A Reno… last pitched on 5/16 against LV.
1B Nick Pratto: (2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 H, R) drove in two of the E-Train’s three runs on Friday night… launched his fourth homer of the season in the ninth inning… is slashing .324 (12-37) with 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI and 4 BB in his last 10 G… started the month of May hitting just .091 (2-22) through 6 G.
NOTES: The Express tied their season-high in runs allowed (14)… also allowed 14 runs against El Paso on 4/15 at Dell Diamond… are 0-7 when opponents score 10-plus runs… 2-21 when out-hit by opponents… CF Gilberto Celestino belted his first home run as a member of the E-Train… the furthest of any Express player this season… 13th furthest homer in the PCL this season.
NEXT GAME: Saturday, May 23 at El Paso FIRST PITCH: 7:35 p.m. CT BALLPARK: Southwest University Ballpark
For more information about the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Subscribe to the E-Train email newsletter and keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and X!