Round Rock Takes 11-Inning Slugfest Over Sacramento
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Express jumped out to an early lead after RF Aaron Zavala launched a full-count home run to center field. The River Cats responded with three runs in the bottom frame to take their first lead of the game. Sacramento loaded the bases before RF Scott Bandura
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Express jumped out to an early lead after RF Aaron Zavala launched a full-count home run to center field.
The River Cats responded with three runs in the bottom frame to take their first lead of the game. Sacramento loaded the bases before RF Scott Bandura scored on a wild pitch by RHP Winston Santos. Back-to-back RBIs from 1B Will Brennan and CF Turner Hill gave the River Cats a 3-1 lead after the first.
The two teams exchanged a run apiece in the second. 1B Jonah Bride poked a double to the right field corner before coming around to score on an RBI single from DH Trevor Hauver. In the bottom half of the inning, a groundout by LF Victor Bericoto sent DH Jonah Cox home from third. The River Cats held a 4-2 advantage heading into the third inning.
Round Rock cut the deficit to one after LF Cody Freeman doubled and later came around to score after a flyout and a groundout. The River Cats answered right back with a solo home run by Hill.
The River Cats put runners at second and third to start the seventh. A sacrifice fly from Bericoto drove in Cox from third, and one batter later, Bandura scored on a wild pitch from RHP Luis Curvelo. The score was 7-3 heading into the final two innings.
The E-Train pulled within a run after Bride recorded his 10th homer of the season with a three-run shot in the eighth inning.
In the top of the ninth with one out, Freeman hit a solo home run, tying the game at seven and forcing the game to extra innings.
Round Rock pushed across a run in the 10th after the ghost runner, 3B John Taylor, scored on a fielding error by 3B Parks Harber. Sacramento responded after scoring their ghost runner LF Bo Davidson on a wild pitch from RHP Alexis Díaz.
The Express exploded for five runs in the 11th inning to take their first lead since the first inning. Round Rock loaded the bases for C Logan O’Hoppe who drove in a run. Taylor followed by working a walk and Bride and Hauver each drove in runs with singles. Round Rock held a 13-8 advantage heading into the bottom half of the inning.
The River Cats scored two runs in the bottom of the 11th, but the Express hold on to complete the comeback and take Wednesday night’s contest 13-10.
E-TRAIN EXCERPTS:
WHERE WE STAND: The Express scored 10 of their 13 runs after the 7th inning on Wednesday night, tying the series at 1 game apiece…are now 6-3 in extra innings this season…River Cats are now 5-3 in extras (4-1 at home)…Round Rock now holds sole possession of 2nd place in the Pacific Coast League standings, trail 1st-place Sugar Land by 5.0 G… snap a 5-G skid against the River Cats who have won 6 of the 8 meetings this season.
RHP WINSTON SANTOS: (ND, 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R-ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 30 pitches, 19 strikes) made just his 2nd start in his 6th outing this season with the Express…logged his shortest appearance this season at the Triple-A level… also tossed 0.2 innings in a start on 4/23 with Double-A Frisco… just the 2nd time this season an Express starter has not made it through the 1st inning (RHP David Davalillo 6/7 at OKC)…the right-hander appears against SAC for the 2nd time of his career… the last appearance against the River Cats was his Triple-A debut on 9/19/25… tossed 3.2 innings, allowing just 1 R-ER on 3 H with 4 SO.
OF AARON ZAVALA: launched his 7th homer of the season with his solo shot in the 1st…105.7 mph is his hardest hit round-tripper this year… first home run since 7/5 in the series finale vs ABQ (20-G homerless streak)… just his 1st home run of his Triple-A career against a left-handed hitter in 105 games at the level… despite hitting just .247 (20-for-81) on the season against southpaws, the outfielder has turned it around since July 1st, owning a .321 (9-for-28) average in that span… as compared to batting .243 (17-for-70) against right-handers since July 1.
RHP MARC CHURCH: (ND, 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 29 pitches, 18 strikes) pitched 2.0 innings for just the 2nd time this season… last time he threw 2.0 innings was on 5/24 at ELP where he tossed 2.0 SHO innings, allowing 2 H while striking out 2… generated his strikeouts with a slider and a fastball… marks the 14th outing Church has not allowed a run.
OF TREVOR HAUVER: snapped a season-high 7-G RBI drought with his RBI single in the 2nd… now owns 48 RBI on the season, which is the 2nd most on the Express this season (INF Jonah Bride- 55)… just his 11th RBI with no outs which is still the most by an E-Train batter this season… owns 21 RBIs with 1 out and 16 RBIs with 2 outs.
INF JONAH BRIDE: belted a three-run home run to pull the Express within a run in the 8th inning… ends his 24-G homerless streak, which was the longest active streak entering tonight’s contest… last home run was the series finale at TAC on 6/28…recorded just 5 XBH since 6/28 before tallying 2 XBH in tonight’s contest.
NOTES: INF John Taylor’s groundout in the 1st was recorded at 112.0 mph off the bat, which marks the hardest-hit ball this season by a Round Rock batter… passes former Express INF Blaine Crim’s 111.7 mph single as part of his cycle on 5/28 vs SL…Taylor owns 2 of the 3 hardest-hit balls this season (109.9 triple on 7/11 at RNO).
NEXT GAME: Thursday, August 6 at Sacramento FIRST PITCH: 8:45 p.m. CT BALLPARK: Sutter Health Park
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!