OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma - The Round Rock Express (42-45) secured their fifth consecutive victory with a 3-1 decision after a close fought battle with the Oklahoma City Dodgers (45-38) on Friday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Park.Round Rock starter LHP Michael Roth (5-4, 3.46) tossed 6.0 scoreless frames to kick off
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma - The Round Rock Express (42-45) secured their fifth consecutive victory with a 3-1 decision after a close fought battle with the Oklahoma City Dodgers (45-38) on Friday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Park.
Round Rock starter LHP Michael Roth (5-4, 3.46) tossed 6.0 scoreless frames to kick off what would be a fantastic night for the Express on the mound. Roth held Oklahoma City's bats to just three hits and a walk en route to his longest shutout appearance in eight starts with Round Rock this season. For the Dodgers, starter RHP Brock Stewart (1-1, 3.00) took home the loss after allowing three earned runs over 4.0 innings.
E-Train CF Drew Robinson loudly welcomed Stewart when he led the game off in the top of the first with a triple off the wall in right field. With Robinson standing at third, the hot-hitting Scott Heineman drove home the game's opening run on an RBI single up the middle. With a 2-4 performance at the plate tonight, Heineman extended his current hitting streak to eight consecutive games. The 25-year-old has produced 17 base hits in his last 30 at-bats, raising his seasonal batting average from .273 to .299.
Before the end of the first side, Round Rock 3B Andy Ibáñez brought Heineman in on a sacrifice fly to put the Express in front 2-0 and give Roth some solid run support before he even took the mound. Round Rock's offense would strike once more in third when Ibanez plated Henieman for a second time on a bloop single to right field.
After Roth exited the game in the seventh, the Express bullpen combination of RHP Chris Jensen , LHP Brandon Mann , and RHP R.J. Alvarez carried the game home, allowing just one earned run in the eighth when Oklahoma City 1B Connor Joe recorded a run-scoring triple off Jensen. In the ninth, Alvarez put a stamp on the 3-1 win with a 1-2-3 inning, adding an 18th save to his PCL-leading total.
Round Rock LF Willie Calhoun and SS Nick Noonan were each able to extend their impressive hitting streaks during Friday night's contest. Calhoun went 1-3 with a single and a walk to advance his streak to 13 straight, while Noonan's two-single outing was enough to move his streak to 11 in a row.
Game four will be played at the same time, in the same place on Saturday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Park. Express RHP Adrian Sampson (4-3, 5.14) is slated to get the starting nod against Dodgers LHP Manny Bañuelos (8-4, 3.14). 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!
