River Cats Stay Hot, Beat Express 8-4

ROUND ROCK, Texas (TXAN 24) — The Sacramento River Cats kept rolling Friday night, taking down the Round Rock Express 8-4 at Dell Diamond to secure three wins in the four-game opening set.

Sacramento broke through in the fourth inning with three runs before Round Rock answered immediately with back-to-back home runs from infielder Diego Castillo and designated hitter Aaron Zavala. Castillo launched a two-run shot for his first homer of the season, while Zavala followed with a solo blast to tie the game at 3-3.

The River Cats responded with four more runs in the fifth inning and never looked back. Catcher Logan Porter delivered the biggest blow of the night, driving in five runs total for Sacramento.

Round Rock starter David Davalillo made his Triple-A debut but struggled with command, allowing six earned runs over 4.1 innings while issuing five walks and hitting four batters — setting a new Express franchise record for hit batters in a game.

The Express added one final run in the ninth after first baseman Nick Pratto singled home shortstop Michael Helman.

Round Rock has now dropped seven of its last 10 games and sits 11 games below .500 on the season.

The Express and River Cats continue the series Saturday night at Dell Diamond with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT.