MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com – PORTLAND, Ore. – Jack Cassel struck out six across 5 2/3 innings to beat his former team while the Round Rock Express rallied for four runs in the fifth inning and held on for a 5-3 victory over the Portland Beavers before 6,283 at PGE Park Wednesday afternoon.

J.R. Towles hit his seventh home run and drove in two runs for the Express, who earned a split in their four-game series with Portland.

Cassel (8-2), who pitched for Portland from 2005-07, allowed three runs (2 earned) and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings in his first appearance against the Beavers (61-55).

Peter Ciofrone hit his 13th homer and drove in a pair of runs for the Beavers, who out-hit the Express 11-8. He tied the game with a solo home run off Cassel in the third and put the Beavers up 2-1 with a two-out RBI single an inning later.

In the fifth, however, another former Beaver, Yordany Ramirez, knotted things with a RBI double; the Express then took a three-run lead as Tomas Perez scored from third on a passed ball and Towles and Mark Saccomanno added two-out RBI singles.

Luke Carlin drew a walk, tallied two hits and lifted a sac fly in the bottom of the fifth that brought the Beavers to within 5-3.

Still trailing by two, the Beavers, who stranded 14 runners, loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Alberto Arias came in and struck out pinch-hitter Shawn Wooten to end the game and get his first save for Round Rock (54-65).

Portland’s Cesar Ramos (9-8) came out on the losing end of the series finale, yielding five runs (2 earned) on eight hits and striking out seven in five innings of work.

The Beavers will take advantage of their final off-day of the season on Thursday before starting a five-game series at Colorado Springs Friday night at 6:05 p.m. (Pacific).

NOTES: Portland is 14-17 in day games this season … Vincent Sinisi has his hitting streak come to an end at 12 games … the Beavers suffered their first losing homestand since May 27-June 3.

Beavers Game File
WEDNESDAY’S GAME: Round Rock 5, Beavers 3
WINNING PITCHER: Cassel (8-2)
LOSING PITCHER: Ramos (9-8)
SAVE: Arias (1)
HOME RUNS: Ciofrone (13), Towles (7)
FRIDAY’S GAME: Portland (Wade LeBlanc: 10-7, 5.46) at Colorado Springs (Jason Hirsh: 3-3, 5.56), 6:05 p.m. (Pacific); live audio broadcast on KKAD AM-1550 and www.portlandbeavers.com.

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