Express Victorious in Rain-Delayed Thriller, Secure First Series Win Since April

The Round Rock Express staged a dramatic comeback to defeat the Tacoma Rainiers 7-4 in a rain-delayed series finale, clinching their first series win since April 19. The victory capped off a dominant week for the Express offense, which led the Pacific Coast League in hits (78) and runs (58).

The game saw both starters, Round Rock’s Cory Abbott and Tacoma’s Sauryn Lao, exit after three innings, each yielding two runs and receiving no decisions. The bullpen battle ultimately favored the Express, with Codi Heuer earning his third win of the season, while Tacoma’s Jesse Hahn was tagged with the loss after surrendering three critical runs in the ninth.

Round Rock jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to an RBI double from Billy McKinney and a single from Trevor Hauver. However, Tacoma responded, tying the game in the third and taking a 4-2 lead in the fourth with back-to-back RBI singles from Blake Hunt and Austin Shenton.

The turning point came in the later innings. Dustin Harris ignited the Express comeback with a solo home run in the fifth, narrowing the deficit to 4-3. After two quiet frames, Cody Freeman singled in the eighth, and Hauver doubled him home, knotting the score at four.

The stage was set for a dramatic finish in the bottom of the ninth. After Cooper Johnson walked and Richie Martin sacrificed him to second, the Rainiers intentionally walked Blaine Crim to set up a force play. But Dustin Harris stepped to the plate and crushed his second home run of the night, a three-run, walk-off blast, securing the 7-4 victory and the Express’s ninth walk-off win of the season. Harris finished an outstanding night, going 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI, and three runs scored.

The Express’s bats were red-hot all week, averaging 9.66 runs per game against Tacoma and recording at least ten hits in five of the six contests.