Comets rally briefly, but Express capitalize to win 6-3

Oklahoma City gave itself a way back into the game, then gave the opportunity right back.

After spotting Round Rock a three-run first inning, the Comets tied it in the fifth and had the pressure squarely on the home club. Instead of turning that momentum into a win, Oklahoma City watched the Express answer immediately and pull away for a 6-3 victory Wednesday night at Dell Diamond.

The damage started early against Logan Allen, who was charged with four earned runs in 4.0 innings. Michael Helman led off the bottom of the first with his second homer of the season, setting the tone for a Round Rock lineup that kept the Comets from settling in. By the time Oklahoma City finally found its offense, it was already chasing.

That chase looked promising in the fifth. James Tibbs III doubled home a run, Jack Suwinski followed with an RBI single, and the Comets drew even at 3-3. For a brief stretch, it felt like Oklahoma City had flipped the script after a flat start. Instead, the inning that should have changed the game became the one that decided it. Round Rock answered in the bottom half with two bases-loaded walks, reclaiming a 5-3 lead without needing a ball in play.

Oklahoma City never recovered from that sequence. The Comets finished 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base, and after falling back behind in the fifth they went 0-for-7 with runners on base. Gilberto Celestino added an RBI double in the eighth to give Round Rock one more cushion, while Oklahoma City’s bullpen allowed only two runs over the final four innings. Brock Stewart threw a scoreless inning in his fourth rehab appearance and has still not allowed a run in 4.0 innings for the Comets, one of the few clean notes on a night that otherwise belonged to missed chances.

Tibbs continued to flash impact in the middle of the order, finishing 3-for-5 for his second straight three-hit game. Over his last eight games, he is 12-for-27 with seven extra-base hits and 10 runs scored, and he became the fourth player in the Pacific Coast League to reach 10 doubles this season. Suwinski also stayed hot, going 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI, extending his extra-base-hit streak to five games. Over his last 17 games, he has six homers, 15 RBI and 21 runs scored.

The loss snapped Oklahoma City’s four-game winning streak against Round Rock and dropped the Comets to 13-16, the same mark as the Express. It also deepened a rough stretch for Oklahoma City, which has lost five of its last six, is 3-7 over its last 10, and still has not won consecutive road games this season. The clubs split the first two games of the series, but Thursday’s matchup now carries the weight of a missed chance.