Defense Dooms Express

Two errors on the same play, four errors in game and a balk are mistakes seen in high school baseball.  But this was the Round Rock Express (18-26) when they took on the Iowa Cubs (14-27) on Monday evening.  

The Cubs started the scoring in the top of the third inning.  Lane Adams singled on a line drive to left field.   Mike Freeman followed and reached first base on a fielding error by first baseman Tommy Joseph.   Adams then advanced to third base on a second error by Joseph.  Adams scored on a sacrifice fly by Mark Zagunis.  

Round Rock evened the score in their half of the third.  Scott Heineman was hit by a pitch, and then stole second and third bases.  Heineman scored on a redemptive sacrifice fly Tommy Joseph.  

The Express took the lead in the fourth inning.  Nick Noonan tripled on a fly ball to right field that was lost in the lights.  Noonan then scored on a single by Tony Sanchez.  

Iowa opened the game up in the fifth inning.  Bijan Rademacher led-off with a sharp line-drive double to right field.  Chesny Young followed with a single to center field, advancing Rademacher to third base.   A double by Lane Adams scored both Rademacher and Young.  Adams later stole third base and scored on a squeeze play by Mike Freeman.  Freeman was safe at first base.  Freeman was picked off attempting to steal second base, but a missed catch error by second baseman Christian Lopes gave Freeman the base.  Freeman later scored on an Efren Navarro single, prompting a pitching change, replacing Yohander Mendez for Adrian Sampson.  Sampson quickly forced David Bote to ground into a double play to end the inning.  Iowa led 5-2

Round Rock battled back in the sixth inning, scoring two runs.  And both teams traded runs in the ninth inning.  Final score was Iowa (15-27) 6, Round Rock (18-27) 5.  Yohander Mendez was assigned the loss.  His record falls to 0-4.  Alex Mills earned the win, boosting his record to 2-4.  

Unfortunately, the level of play seen tonight has become systematic of the entire Texas Rangers Baseball organization, where the only team playing better than 0.500 ball is in the High A League.