Express Clinch Series With 6-1 Win Over Rainiers

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Express jumped out to an early lead with a pair of runs in the second. With two outs, DH Jose Herrera singled and C Cooper Johnson followed with a single. SS Keyber Rodriguez and CF Josh Smith delivered back-to-back RBI singles to give Round Rock a 2-0 edge.

Tacoma responded in the bottom frame with a run. RF Colin Davis started the inning with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by 1B Carson Taylor to give the Rainiers their first run of the day.

Smith led off the top half of the fifth with a solo home run, giving the E-Train a 3-1 lead. A pair of walks later set up back-to-back RBI singles from RF Trevor Hauver and Herrera. Round Rock led 5-1 after five complete.

The Express added a run in the top of the ninth with a solo home run by 1B Jonah Bride to give the E-Train a six-run lead entering the bottom half of the ninth. RHP Josh Sborz retired the Rainiers' bats to secure a 6-1 win in the series finale.

E-TRAIN EXCERPTS:

WHERE WE STAND: Express finish their season-long 12-game road trip 6-6, dropping 4 of 6 at Las Vegas and winning 4 of 6 at Tacoma…are -1.0 G behind 1^st-place Las Vegas.

RHP JOSE CORNIELL: (ND, 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 61 pitches, 40 strikes) made his 7^th start of the season and first start since 6/12 vs ELP…got out of a bases-loaded jam in the 1^st with a double play…generated 3 flyouts and 3 groundouts with his sinker… added to the Round Rock roster on 6/25 from TEX…has posted a 1.38 ERA (2 ER/13.0 IP) with 9 strikeouts, 1 walk and a 0.92 WHIP across 3 starts for the Express without a decision in June…is 1 of 3 Triple-A pitchers that have thrown 30.0+ innings without allowing a home run.

INF JONAH BRIDE: finished the 12-game road trip batting .310 (13-42) with 3 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBI, 11 runs, 6 walks and 6 strikeouts…recorded his team-leading 9^th home run in the top of the 9^th…7 of his 9 homers have been against LHP.

RHP RYAN LOBUS: (W, 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 36 pitches, 24 strikes) earned his 1^st career win at the Triple-A level in his 3^rd outing after making his Triple-A debut on 6/20 at LV…struck out 3 batters, the 1^st of his Triple-A career…allowed a hit and a walk across 2.0 SHO IP…recorded 1^st-pitch strikes to 6 of 8 batters faced.

DH JOSE HERRERA: (3-for-4, R, RBI) posted his first 3-hit game of the season…singled in the 2^nd and 7^th inning…RBI single in the 5^th made it a 5-1 game…slashed .412/.444/.647 (7-for-17) with a homer, 3 RBI and a walk on the road trip (since 6/16).

NOTES: Express are now 19-8 when recording 10+ hits…offense now owns a .750 OPS after beginning their road trip with a .728 OPS…hit 22 home runs in the 12-game trip, which accounts for 29.7% of the club’s 74 long balls this season

NEXT GAME: Tuesday, June 30 vs Albuquerque FIRST PITCH: 6:45 p.m. CT BALLPARK: Dell Diamond

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!