Round Rock rallies past El Paso with two-run seventh inning

Round Rock won the only sequence that truly mattered, breaking a 2-2 tie with two runs in the seventh and beating El Paso 4-2 at Dell Diamond. Nolan Kingham steadied the start, Cody Freeman delivered the go-ahead swings and Emiliano Teodo finished the job as the Express evened the series.

The Chihuahuas struck first in the second inning, but Jarred Kelenic answered in the third with his first home run as an Express player to square the game at 1-1. El Paso briefly pushed back ahead in the fourth, only for Round Rock to pull even again in the fifth when Cam Cauley and Alejandro Osuna reached base and Freeman lined an RBI single to make it 2-2.

That set up the decisive seventh. Josh Smith singled to open the frame, moved into scoring position and came home on Osuna’s double. Freeman then followed with his second RBI of the night, giving Round Rock the 4-2 lead it protected the rest of the way.

Kingham gave the Express exactly what they needed from a bounce-back start. He worked 5.0 innings, allowed eight hits and two runs, struck out five and walked one on 87 pitches, 54 for strikes. His fastball reached 96.6 mph, a sign that the right-hander had enough in reserve even while grinding through traffic. He left with the game tied and no decision, but the outing stabilized a night that could have tilted the other way early.

The bullpen then closed the door. Gavin Collyer earned the win, Mason Thompson bridged the middle innings and Teodo recorded his fourth save. El Paso never found the late answer it needed, and Round Rock protected the lead after the seventh for the 16th time in 20 chances this season. The Express also improved to 9-6 in two-run games, a useful marker in a season where margin has mattered.

The win carried several individual note-lines as well. Cauley swiped his 22nd base of the season, good for second in the Pacific Coast League, and Osuna extended his on-base streak to 19 games, tying Jonah Bride for the longest by a Round Rock hitter this year. Freeman finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and continued a strong start in Texas, batting .306 with two homers and six walks in his first nine games since joining the club on May 26. Kelenic’s blast also stood out as his first in his sixth game with Round Rock, another sign of power beginning to surface.

El Paso’s Carlos Rodríguez stayed hot despite the loss, going 2-for-5 with an RBI single to push his hitting streak to 16 games, the longest by a Chihuahuas player this season. The Chihuahuas also lost third baseman Clay Dungan to an ejection in the sixth after he argued a call at first base. The series continued Thursday at Dell Diamond, with JP Sears set to face Trey Supak.