"We were dumb hitters," Bombard said in reference to the Express' 14 fly-ball outs on a windy day. "Overall, we played pretty good defense."

This was Corpus Christi's second straight victory over a higher-ranking member of the Houston Astros system. The Hooks, of the Double-A Texas League, beat the parent Astros 6-5 in an exhibition game on April 2.

After being kept off the bases for the first three innings, the Hooks struck first in the fourth inning.

Left fielder Collin DeLome led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second base on a groundout by Drew Meyer. DeLome then scored on a double to right field by third baseman Jhon Florentino.

Florentino's double was the lone hit allowed by Express starter Jeff Fulchino. Making his Round Rock debut after spending last year in the Kansas City Royals organization, Fulchino went four innings, struck out two and walked one.

Before Sunday, Fulchino hadn't thrown more than two innings in a spring outing.

"He hit the wall in the fourth. The tank was empty," Bombard said of Fulchino. "You build on that and go from there."

Round Rock pulled even in the fifth inning when J.R. Towles doubled and scored on a throwing error by Hooks pitcher Polin Trinidad.

The Hooks put the game away in the seventh inning when they scored three runs on four hits and a throwing error by Express right fielder Yordany Ramirez. Corpus Christi tacked on its final two runs in the ninth inning.

Round Rock finished the game with seven hits but advanced only one runner past second base. Defensively, the Express gave up 12 hits and committed two errors that led to two Corpus Christi runs.

The exhibition game gave Express fans an opportunity to see some players who may soon be playing in Round Rock uniforms.

The left-handed Trinidad, who is on the Astros' 40-man roster and was Houston's 2008 representative in the All-Star Futures Game, gave up four hits in a four-inning relief appearance. Trinidad got the win.

Second baseman Meyer, a former first-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers , went 0 for 5. DeLome, a fifth-round draft selection in 2007, went 2 for 4 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored.

The Express will wrap up its preseason on Tuesday in Corpus Christi with another exhibition against the Hooks.

danieldavis@statesman.com; 445-3952