Round Rock Express Tops Oklahoma City

The Round Rock Express defeated Oklahoma City, capitalizing on an early lead and strong relief pitching. Round Rock struck out 15 batters in route to the victory.  

Round Rock second baseman Justin Foscue drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the first inning, setting the stage for right fielder Trevor Hauver, who launched his second home run of the season into the Express bullpen, giving the home team an early 2-0 advantage.

The Express extended their lead in the fifth inning when catcher Tucker Barnhart delivered a two-run single up the middle, scoring Foscue and first baseman Blaine Crim to make it 4-0.

In the sixth, left fielder Kellen Strahm and designated hitter Konner Piotto hit back-to-back singles. Strahm scored on a groundout by third baseman Alex De Goti, and Piotto came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Foscue, pushing Round Rock’s lead to 6-0.

Oklahoma City rallied in the top of the seventh. Second baseman Austin Gauthier walked, and left fielder Esteury Ruiz followed with a single. Catcher Chris Okey then cut the deficit in half with a three-run home run, bringing the score to 6-3. However, the Express bullpen, consisting of Daniel Robert, Luis Curvelo, and Codi Heuer, held Oklahoma City scoreless for the final two innings, securing the victory for Round Rock.

Round Rock pitcher Nolan Hoffman earned the win, pitching 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit, one walk, and striking out four. The Oklahoma City starting pitcher was tagged with the loss, allowing two runs on one hit, with six walks and four strikeouts.