After a losing series versus the Sacramento River Cats, the Albuquerque Isotopes were back in action at home to battle the Round Rock Express in their six-game series.
Albuquerque started off the series with a bang, winning 9-4 in comeback fashion on Dollar Dog Night, taking game one. Round Rock had an early three-run lead but the deficit was erased in the third inning following a triple from third baseman Chad Stevens.
The Isotopes were very balanced, with 10 total hits, two of which came from Stevens.
Right fielder Charlie Condon joined in on the fun, achieving 2 hits and a sliding run in the bottom of the eighth inning. The run did not sit well with Express manager Kyle Moore, who had words with the umpire before being ejected.
The Isotopes went on to score six runs late to pull away.
Round Rock led early in game one, but played from behind throughout game two as Albuquerque won 5-2 to extend their win streak and lead in the series.
The Isotopes struck first, scoring the first two runs of the game in the fourth inning. The Express were able to match the lead in the sixth, but the momentum quickly turned as Albuquerque center fielder Zac Veen scored a go-ahead run to retake the lead.
”I'm really proud of myself, and I'm super blessed,” Veen said after the game. “I'm just glad I could bring the best version of myself and help the team out. I think everybody knew we were gonna turn it on here eventually, because I think we just gel too much to not, everybody's super happy about it. We go into every game looking to win.”
Veen led the way with 3 hits, 2 RBI and the aforementioned run in the bottom of the sixth.
Third time was the charm for Round Rock who dismantled Albuquerque 14-1 on Youth Summer Day in game three. The Isotopes were playing catch-up from the start, down four runs before swinging a bat and never recovered.
It was a tense game for both teams, particularly in the top of the seventh inning when Isotopes pitcher Mason Green hit Express second baseman John Smith with a pitch. Smith did not appear happy and expressed his frustration, leading to the benches being cleared, but nothing escalated from there.
The delayed game four (due to weather) appeared to affect Albuquerque, who lost 11-3, evening the series out. The team had a slow start again and was out of rhythm early. They didn't score until Round Rock already led by six runs in the sixth inning. The Isotopes had no problem hitting the ball — they had 10 total hits, but had nine players left on base. Condon led the team with three hits.
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The power of Green Chili Cheeseburger Night turned out to be a hot mess; game five of the series saw another slow start for Albuquerque, down 4-0 heading into the sixth inning. However, they rallied back late to almost tie but ultimately lost 4-3. Designated hitter Sterlin Thompson ignited the rally with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, and he looked to be the hero before hitting a ground ball for the final out of the game.
Game six was a fitting end to the series for Albuquerque. They answered the bell in the bottom of the fifth inning with two runs: a solo homer by first baseman Vimael Machin, followed by a run by Stevens to take a 2-1 lead, but the Isotopes’ pitching and fielding unraveled late and gave up eight unanswered runs to lose 9-2.
The Albuquerque Isotopes will look for answers as they head to El Paso, Texas, this week to play the Chihuahuas in a six-game series.
Alex Joe is a freelance videographer for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @DailyLobo
