Jackson & Co. shut out Travelers
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, ARK. (APRIL 15, 2014) - The Frisco RoughRiders filed their taxes and cashed another win on Tuesday night as they knocked off the Arkansas Travelers 3-0 to wrap up a second consecutive series sweep.
The 'Riders pushed their winning streak to seven games and find themselves tied for the best mark in the Texas League. Frisco (8-4) remains undefeated both on the road and in the state of Arkansas this season.
With the loss, Arkansas (6-6) has lost four straight and falls to 2-4 against the RoughRiders. The teams will not meet again until June 25 at Dr Pepper Ballpark.
Frisco opened the scoring for the fourth time on the six-game road swing. In the first inning, Rougned Odor, who went 0-for-8 at the plate in the Monday doubleheader, broke his hitless streak in the series with a single off Travelers starting pitcher Michael Roth.
Odor did not remain on first base for long. In the ensuing at-bat, Jordan Brown went deep for his third home run of the season and put the 'Riders up 2-0.
One inning later, Luis Sardinas validated a single by Trever Adams earlier in the frame and drove his teammate home to extend the RoughRiders edge to three runs.
Right-hand pitcher Luke Jackson (1-0) took his turn in the rotation on Tuesday and looked to rebound after a shaky outing on April 10 against Northwest Arkansas. The 22-year-old put the past behind him and stymied the Travelers for six innings.
His biggest out of the night came in the fifth with runners on second and third. A wild pitch put two men in scoring position for the Travs, but the former first-round draft pick blitzed Alex Yarbrough with an outside fastball to keep Arkansas off the board.
Jackson's counterpart, Michael Roth (0-2), found his rhythm after the second inning and allowed one hit over his final four innings of action. He finished the night with five hits, three runs and one walk allowed, as well as three strikeouts over six frames.
The RoughRiders also stuck with their starting arm for the sixth inning, arguably Jackson's finest on the night. He threw just six pitches in the sixth and tallied his eighth strikeout of the night when he retired Zach Borenstein for the third time on strikes.
Jackson's replacements on the mound finished off the Travelers. Jimmy Reyes, a native Floridian like Jackson, faced the minimum in the seventh before handing the reins over to Jon Edwards for the eighth inning.
Arkansas' Kyle Hudson reached on a fielder's choice with one out and subsequently advanced to second base on a wild pitch from Edwards. After Hudson reached third for the second time in the game on another fielder's choice, Edwards promptly stranded him there when he induced a comebacker to the mound from Kaleb Cowart.
Francisco Mendoza was given responsibility for the final three out on the evening. The Dominican right-hander conceded a leadoff walk to Borenstein and proceeded to retire the next three batters on fly balls to the outfield.
Mendoza picked up his second save of the season while Jackson picked up his first win of 2014. Reyes and Edwards each earned their first hold, respectively.
After a day off on Wednesday, the 'Riders return to Dr Pepper Ballpark on Thursday, April 17 to start a four-game series with the Corpus Christi Hooks at 7:05 p.m. It will be the Hooks' first trip to Frisco this season and it begins an eight-game homestand for the RoughRiders. After 12 straight games against teams from Arkansas to open the season, Frisco now begins its intra-divisional schedule against teams from within the Texas League South.
Coverage begins live on www.ridersbaseball.com at 6:45 p.m. with the Frisco RoughRiders Pregame Show. For tickets to see the 'Riders in 2014, call 972-731-9200, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.ridersbaseball.com.