Riders surrender early lead, drop second straight
TULSA, OKLA. (May 25, 2016) - After scoring four runs in the first two innings, the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, gave up five unanswered runs and lost Wednesday night's contest to the Tulsa Drillers, 6-4, at ONEOK Field.
Despite outhitting the Drillers, 14-9, and leading, 4-1, after the first two frames, Tulsa (22-23) came all the way back to win the game. After scoring a run in the third to make it 4-2, Andrew Toles hit a two-out RBI single in the fourth, and Adam Law stole home to tie the game against starter Victor Payano (4-2).
Tulsa took the lead in the sixth on a safety squeeze bunt from Law. Willie Calhoun's solo home run in the eighth gave the Drillers a run of insurance for Rob Rogers, who worked around a two-out single by Ryan Cordell to earn his third save.
The Riders (30-15) plated three runs in the first inning on Cordell's two-run double and Preston Beck's two-out RBI single. However, after Isiah Kiner-Falefa drove in Alberto Triunfel with a groundout in the second, the team did not score another run for the remainder of the game. Frisco had runners on base in eight of the nine innings Tuesday but left nine men on in the defeat.
Payano pitched the first 5 1/3 innings for Frisco and allowed five of the six Tulsa runs, four of which were earned. He walked three and struck out two. Cody Palmquist retired all five men he faced in the sixth and seventh innings to increase his streak to 17 straight batters retired across three appearances.
The Riders wrap up their three-game series Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. Righty Sam Wolff (4-2, 5.22 ERA) will head to the mound for Frisco, working against Tulsa righty Jeremy Kehrt (0-1, 6.00 ERA). Live coverage can be heard on the Frisco RoughRiders Radio Network, on the TuneIn Radio App, and the MiLB First Pitch App. Dr Pepper Pregame Show coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.
The RoughRiders return home next Tuesday, May 31 to begin a six-game homestand against the Tulsa Drillers and the Springfield Cardinals. The homestand includes Superhero Night on Saturday, June 4th. Tickets for that game and the other games on the homestand are available now online at RidersBaseball.com, via email at [email protected], over the phone at (972) 731-9200, or in-person at the RoughRiders box office.
About the RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and play their games at beautiful Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas. The team was founded in 2003 and has finished first among all Double-A franchises in attendance in each of the last 11 seasons (2005-2015). In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg and Scott Sonju. The new ownership group, together with the city of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise improvements over the past two seasons, investing over $7 million in wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including the new state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, InTouch Grille, Riders Outpost Team Store, and the newest and biggest creation, the 174-foot Choctaw Lazy River. The improvements made prior to the 2015 season earned the Riders and the City of Frisco "Best Ballpark Renovation" of 2015 by Ballpark Digest. More than 130 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball, including All-Stars Chris Davis, Elvis Andrus, Adrian Gonzalez, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, and C.J. Wilson as well as current Rangers stars Derek Holland, Rougned Odor, and Mitch Moreland. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders and Dr Pepper Ballpark, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact Nathan Barnett at (972) 334-1976 or via e-mail at [email protected].
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