Katrina Walker (far left), her husband Billy (center) and Jeff Bishop enjoy a conversation and take in the scenery last Wednesday (July 21) at the Dell Diamond during a Round Rock Express victory over visiting New Orleans. The Express scored seven runs in the seventh inning to cap a comeback win over the Zephyrs (Thunderstruckphotos.com Photo)
Nothing like a day at the “Ol’ Ball Game.”
A number of Liberty Hillians enjoyed just that last Wednesday night (July 21) at The Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express.
Liberty Hill folks make the trek down Highway 29 over to Round Rock on a regular basis. Last Wednesay, some LH residents went via 50 tickets that were disbursed in the Liberty Hill community by K-MAC Sports for the game. The Express – the Triple-A affiliate for the Houston Astros – rallied for an 11-8 victory over the New Orleans Zephyrs that night.
Liberty Hill residents Peggy Bishop (far left, in yellow) and Katrina Walker (far right) enjoy a conversation while attending last Wednesday's Round Rock Express game at the Dell Diamond. Many Liberty Hill residents were at that ball game as well as ball games throughout the summer.
In fact, a few LH residents posted their anticipated trip to the ballpark on Facebook earlier in the day. Included among those were Presley Walker and Paige Runnels, two LHHS students.
Others spotted in the stand include Paige Runnels’ family (her parents, Scott and Shannon, and her brother Chance); the Bishops (Jeff, Peggy, and Brice); Presley Walkers and her parents (Billy and Katrina); and the Canday clan (Charles, Kathy and Paige).
Everyone in attendance enjoyed a comeback by the Express who have certainly had their struggles this season.
Round Rock (42-60 as of July 26) has been mired in fourth place in the American Southern division of the Pacific Coast League (PCL). However, the team has lived up to its “billing” as a Triple-A team to the Astros, having lost some players to both the Astros and Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. Thus there has been no real consistency on the team’s roster this season.
Sergio Perez of the Round Rock Express cracks his bat while batting in the third inning of an 11-8 win (July 21) over New Orleans at the Dell Diamond. Perez, a pitcher, last six innings but wasn't accountable in the pitching decision (Thunderstruckphotos.com Photo)
Still, the Express delighted the home fans last Wednesday. In typical Express fashion, they made some mistakes (passed balls and errors) and fell behind New Orleans, 8-4, through the top of the seventh inning.
But the Express found their swing in the bottom of the seventh, smoking Zephyrs pitching for seven runs as Round Rock sent 11 hitters to the plate. Drew Locke smacked a two-run single; pinch-hitter Michael Gariaparra drew a game-tying, RBI bases-loaded walk; and, All-Star Brian Bogusevic slapped an RBI single to cap off the seven-run rally, powering the Express to an 11-8 victory.
