RedHawks Roll Past Express in 13-Run Rout

Originally Published: Jul 11, 2010 11:17 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Rich Harden and Doug Mathis both made rehab appearances Sunday, and the RedHawks made things easy for them with a monster first inning in a 15-2 drubbing of the Round Rock Express.

After a strikeout to begin the game, Oklahoma City’s next seven batters all reached base. The RedHawks (49-39) scored six runs in that span, capped off by Hernan Iribarren’s two-run double. Iribarren later scored on a Craig Gentry single to give OKC seven runs in the game’s first half-inning.

After being handed a 7-0 lead to start the game, the RedHawks’ pitchers coasted for the rest of the night. Harden was held to limited time in order to avoid overworking him in his first rehab start, but he gave up just one hit in 2.2 innings.

Mathis (4-4) relieved Harden and earned the win after giving up one run in his 3.1 innings of work. Willie Eyre, Clay Rapada and Warner Madrigal combined to give up five hits in the game’s final three innings.

The Express (38-53) first got on the board in the fourth inning thanks to an RBI double by Andrew Locke, but Round Rock never pulled any closer.

Oklahoma City’s offense was quiet after the explosive first inning, but caught fire again in the middle frames. Back-to-back triples by Esteban German and Mitch Moreland in the fifth inning stretched the lead to eight, and Max Ramirez added an RBI double in the sixth to make it 10-1.

The RedHawks turned in their second big inning of the night in the eighth, when Iribarren continued his huge night. After an RBI single by Ramirez, Iribarren blasted a three-run home run to give him five RBIs on the night and extend the lead to 14-1.

Both teams added a run in the ninth inning. Moreland hit a solo home run in the top half of the frame, and Brian Bogusevic drove a run home with a groundout in the bottom half.

Oklahoma City will now head into the All-Star break having won five of its last six games. The RedHawks’ next game will come at 7:05 p.m. Thursday, when they will welcome the Iowa Cubs to OKC.