Express Beat Aviators Twice on Wednesday Night

ROUND ROCK, Texas - GAME 1 BOX SCORE | GAME 2 BOX SCORE

WP: RHP Dane Acker (1-0, 4.50) FIRST PITCH: 7:06 P.M. ATTENDANCE: 3,141

LP: RHP Jake Walkinshaw (2-1, 4.26) GAME TIME: 2:18

SV: RHP Matt Festa (1) TEMPERATURE: 69 degrees, Sunny

HOME RUNS: NO. INN. ON OUT COUNT DISTANCE/EXIT VELO. LOCATION

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HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 1:

On Tuesday evening, Las Vegas scratched a run across on an RBI single from 2B Alejo Lopez in the top of the fifth inning to make it 1-0. In the middle of the inning, the contest was suspended due to heavy rain and hail.

The suspended game was moved to 5:30 PM on Wednesday before the originally scheduled April 23^rd contest against the Aviators.

The E-Train loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the sixth behind two walks and a single. 1B Blaine Crim poked a two-RBI single through the right side and Round Rock took a 2-1 lead that would hold final.

RHP Dane Acker and RHP Matt Festa held Las Vegas hitless through the final four innings. Acker secured his first win of the season and Festa earned his first save.

GAME 2

WP: RHP Cole Winn (2-0, 0.00) FIRST PITCH: 7:06 P.M. ATTENDANCE: 3,260

LP: RHP Anthony Maldonado (0-1, 2.25) GAME TIME: 2:08

SV: LHP Robby Ahlstrom (1) TEMPERATURE: 78 degrees, Partly Cloudy.

HOME RUNS: NO. INN. ON OUT COUNT DISTANCE/EXIT VELO. LOCATION

Ezequiel Duran 1 6 0 0 1-1 345 feet/96.9 MPH Left Field Berm

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 2:

Las Vegas put two aboard in the first with base hits from RF Drew Avans and SS Darell Hernaiz. C Willie MacIver grounded a single up the middle and Avans came around for an Aviators 1-0 lead.

Round Rock CF Sam Haggerty led off the bottom of the inning with a single of his own. Round Rock 1B Blaine Crim sent Haggerty home with his 30^th hit of the year to tie the score at 1-1.

Aviators RHP Mason Barnett held the Express to one run and four hits in 5.0 innings of work. Round Rock SS Ezequiel Duran broke the tie for the E-Train with a home run in the sixth inning off RHP Anthony Maldonado. Duran’s first home run of the year became the deciding run for Round Rock’s 2-1 victory.

The Express bullpen of RHP Hunter Strickland, RHP Cole Winn, and LHP Robby Ahlstrom threw 4.1 scoreless frames with four hits and five punchouts.

E-TRAIN EXCERPTS:

TOP OF THE PACK: 1B Blaine Crim stands atop the Pacific Coast League with 30 hits after recording two knocks in Wednesday’s games. Crim is also ranked in the PCL with 53 total bases (2^nd), 19 RBI (5^th) and a .330 batting average (9^th).

SHUT DOWN: RHP Matt Festa and RHP Cole Winn hold the two longest streaks without an earned run in all of Triple-A this season. Festa threw 1.0 hitless innings en route to earning his first save and closing out Round Rock’s first win of the day. Festa has thrown 11.2 innings this season without surrendering an earned run. He’s triumphed only by teammate, Winn, who holds a 15.2 inning streak with zero earned runs. Winn recorded his second win of the season in the E-Train’s second game of the day, tallying 2.0 IP, one hit, zero runs and three strikeouts.

NEXT GAME: Thursday, April 24 vs. Las Vegas FIRST PITCH: 7:05 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!