ROUND ROCK, Texas - After capturing their first series sweep of the season on Thursday night, the Round Rock Express (37-43) saw their stretch of seven consecutive wins come to an end following a 3-2 loss against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (44-35) on Friday night at Dell Diamond. Express
ROUND ROCK, Texas - After capturing their first series sweep of the season on Thursday night, the Round Rock Express (37-43) saw their stretch of seven consecutive wins come to an end following a 3-2 loss against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (44-35) on Friday night at Dell Diamond.
Express starter RHP Richelson Peña pitched about as well as one could while earning a no-decision, tossing 6.0 innings of one-run ball while striking out seven and walking none. Pena's seven punchouts marked a career-high for the 24-year-old at the Triple-A level.
Matching Pena's impressive performance, Colorado Springs starter RHP Aaron Brooks ended up with a tough no-decision as well after he shutout Round Rock's offense through 5.2 frames, allowing just two men to reach base on a hit and a walk. Sky Sox LHP Nick Ramirez (1-0, 1.86) earned his first Triple-A win of the year after ironically picking up a blown save in the eighth.
Both teams went scoreless through the first five innings as Pena constrained the Sky Sox bats to just three hits while the E-Train failed to record a base knock until LF Willie Calhoun reached on a single in the bottom of the fifth.
Colorado Springs finally snapped the 0-0 tie when LF Tyrone Taylor led off the sixth by crushing a sky-scraping solo shot that bounced off the façade of the Home Run Porch in left.
The Sky Sox would ride that 1-0 advantage until the bottom of the eighth when Round Rock 3B Andy Ibáñez teed off on a game-tying solo homer to deep left off Ramirez. Ibanez's sixth round-tripper of the season was his second in the month of June, coming just four days after he snapped a 20-game home run drought with a dinger earlier this week.
With the score reset at 1-1, Colorado Springs pushed across two runs in the final frame to take a 3-1 lead off Express RHP Ricky Rodriguez (1-1, 0.98). Sky Sox DH Christian Bethancourt ignited the rally with a leadoff single before 3B Dylan Moore roped an RBI triple into the gap in right center for his third hit of the evening. The next batter, C Jett Bandy , drove home Moore on a base hit up the middle with the infield in to put Colorado Springs up by two.
In the bottom of the ninth, Ibanez came to the plate with a chance to tie the game once again, or potentially deliver a walkoff win. Round Rock CF Drew Robinson led off the frame with a double down the right-field line before RF Scott Heineman cut the deficit in half on a run-scoring single to left.
After Sky Sox RHP Erik Davis retired the next two batters on a fielder's choice and a strikeout, Calhoun produced his second single of the night to put runners at first and second with two away for Ibanez. After running the count to 1-1, the Express third baseman chopped a bouncing ball right back to Davis, who tossed a lob over to first for the 27th out.
Game two of the series will take place Friday night at Dell Diamond. Round Rock RHP Tyler Wagner (0-3, 4.40) is set to do battle with Colorado Springs RHP Alec Asher (4-2, 5.07). First pitch is scheduled 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!
