Albuquerque Isotopes 11-3 Round Rock Express: 10-run late surge erases deficit as Isotopes storm back at Dell Diamond

Isotopes 11-3 Express: 10-Run Late Inning Explosion Erases Deficit

The Albuquerque Isotopes (64-65) scored ten runs over the final two innings to turn a 3-1 deficit into an 11-3 rout of the Round Rock Express (62-67) on Thursday night at Dell Diamond. The Isotopes snapped Round Rock's 41-7 record when leading after seven innings, sending the E-Train to back-to-back losses.

How It Unfolded

Round Rock struck first in the bottom of the first. Cam Cauley reached third and Aaron Zavala second on singles and a groundout, before Jonah Bride's RBI groundout plated Cauley for the opening run.

Albuquerque answered in the third. Conner Capel worked a leadoff walk and scored on Sterlin Thompson's RBI single, knotting the game at 1-1.

Diego Castillo put the Express back ahead in the fourth with an RBI double. Cauley then crushed a solo home run in the fifth — his 13th of the season — to stretch the lead to 3-1, the fourth homer Cauley has hit in his last 10 games since returning from Texas on August 15.

The Turning Point

Round Rock sent closer Emiliano Teodo to protect a 3-1 lead in the eighth. He faced six batters and recorded just one out. A walk, a single, a wild pitch, and a Vimael Machín two-run triple tied the game. Joe Ross entered and promptly allowed Conner Capel's bases-loaded, three-run single. The inning included two walks and a hit batter as Albuquerque sent 13 men to the plate, scoring seven runs on six hits and five walks.

The Isotopes added four more in the ninth off Marc Church (three runs, two inherited runners scored) and Joe Ross, putting the game out of reach at 11-3.

Key Performers

Vimael Machín (ABQ) — Player of the Match Machín went 3-for-4 with a triple, a walk, two runs and two RBIs. His two-run triple off Teodo in the eighth was the hit that tied the game and triggered the avalanche.

Conner Capel (ABQ) Reached base three times (1-for-3, 2 BB) and drove in three runs, including the go-ahead three-run single in the eighth.

Patrick Weigel (ABQ) Earned the win (1-2) with 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out three of the four batters he faced.

Emiliano Teodo (RR) Took the loss (3-5) and his second blown save. He retired only one of six batters, charged with five runs — four earned — on three hits and two walks.

Cam Cauley (RR) Homered and singled, scoring twice. He now leads the Express in home runs (13) and has hit four in his last 10 games.

By the Numbers — Interpreted

Albuquerque's 11 runs came on nine hits — hardly a barrage — but the eight walks drawn and three hit batters tell the real story. The Isotopes put 46 men on the basepaths through hits, walks and HBPs, going 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Round Rock's pitching staff walked eight and hit three, with five of those free passes coming in the decisive eighth and ninth frames.

The Express managed ten hits of their own but drew zero walks all night, an indication of Jake Brooks' quality — the Isotopes' starter allowed just three runs (all earned) over 5.2 innings without issuing a walk.

Round Rock entered the eighth with a 3-1 lead and a 41-7 record when leading after seven. They are now 3-16 this season when allowing ten or more runs.

What It Means

The Isotopes take a 2-1 lead in the series, climbing to 64-65. Round Rock slips to 62-67. The teams meet again on Friday, August 28 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Dell Diamond. For Albuquerque, this marks the kind of late-inning resilience that has been rare — the Isotopes entered having scored five or fewer runs in six of their previous nine games.

Verdict

A game that was cruising toward a tidy Round Rock win disintegrated when the bullpen door opened. Teodo's inability to throw strikes turned a 24-out save situation into an inning Albuquerque will remember. The Isotopes showed a plate discipline (eight walks) they haven't consistently displayed, and it paid off in the most emphatic way possible.

No official video highlights were publicly available at the time of writing.