The Round Rock Express’ West Coast road trip came to an end on a positive note despite dropping five straight to the Pacific Coast League’s best and hottest team, the Tacoma Rainiers.
The Express jumped out and closed the series with a 15-hit performance, avoiding its second series sweep this season to the Rainiers in an 8-1 win Sunday afternoon at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington.
Fresh off his first major league call-up with the Rangers, third baseman Cody Freeman accounted for three of the eight runs for Round Rock and dominated at the plate. Going 3-5, all three of Freeman’s hits were home runs that all dropped out toward left field.
Freeman was not the only one making contact. All 10 hitters who made a plate appearance for the Express recorded a base hit, with first baseman Blaine Crim and shortstop Richie Martin both picking up two.
Tacoma starting pitcher Jhonathan Diaz was battling early with the Round Rock batters, going into deep at-bats to open his start. Already nearing his pitch limit in the third inning, Diaz was yanked after 69 pitches, having allowed four consecutive hits: three extra-base hits and Cody Freeman’s second home run of the game, a two-run shot.
It took just one pitch for Freeman to capture his third and final home run of the afternoon, getting one past Tacoma reliever Michael Mariot in the fifth inning to put the Express up by four.
Frainyer Chavez entered the game to pinch-hit for second baseman Justin Foscue for a more favorable matchup against Tacoma pitcher Juan Burgos, which proved to be the right choice, as Chavez hit a line drive toward center field for an RBI in the eighth.
With the game under the Express’ full control, Martin and outfielder Trevor Hauver tacked on two more runs with RBI singles in the ninth inning, sealing Round Rock’s first victory in over a week.
The Express was on a dry spell going into Sunday’s series finale after sweeping the Las Vegas Aviators last week. Round Rock struggled to match the offensive output of its northwest foe. This game was Tacoma’s second in the series to have fewer than 10 hits.
Opening the series in third place of the PCL’s overall standings and dropping five straight, the Express is battling in the middle of the league, clinging to a 12-12 record in the second half and 5.5 games back from first-place Tacoma.
Round Rock will return home to face the El Paso Chihuahuas for a six-game series this week at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas.
