Naturals use early grand slam to top Riders
Cardona, O'Neill each tally two hits in series opener
FRISCO, Texas (August 18, 2017) - Northwest Arkansas' Mauricio Ramos cranked an early grand slam to provide all the runs and defeat the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, 4-0 in Friday night's series opener at Dr Pepper Ballpark.BIG MOMENTS Mauricio Ramos belted a grand slam to
FRISCO, Texas (August 18, 2017) - Northwest Arkansas'
BIG MOMENTS
- Mauricio Ramos belted a grand slam to left field in the top of the first inning to give the Naturals a 4-0 lead.
- Riders starter
Richelson Peña settled down after allowing the slam, yielding just three hits and a walk over the next 6 1/3 innings. He suffered his second consecutive loss, striking out five over 6 2/3 innings. Foster Griffin earned the victory, posting 5 2/3 shutout innings of four-hit ball. The southpaw struck out three and walked five, benefitting from three double plays.
KEY RIDERS PERFORMERS
Jose Cardona : 2-4Michael O'Neill : 2-4Andy Ibáñez : 1-4, double
NEWS AND NOTES
- Riders pitching fired eight scoreless innings following a first-inning grand slam. Over the past two days, Frisco arms have not allowed a run in 17 of 18 frames.
- Jose Cardona recorded his sixth multi-hit performance in his past 11 games, hitting .341 (15-44) in the stretch.
- The Riders have dropped five consecutive games against Northwest Arkansas after taking four of the first five head-to-head meetings. Frisco has not scored a run in the last 22 innings against the Naturals.
WHAT'S NEXT
Riders vs. Northwest Arkansas, Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
Probables: RHP
Tickets: Click here
Video: MiLB.tv
Audio: RidersBaseball.com, TuneIn Radio App, MiLB First Pitch App
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 12 seasons (2005-2016). In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg. The new ownership group, together with the city of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise improvements over the past two seasons, investing nearly $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a 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 upgrades made prior to the 2015 season earned the Riders and the City of Frisco "Best Ballpark Renovation" of 2015 by Ballpark Digest. The same publication also honored the Choctaw Lazy River as the best ballpark improvement over $1 million for the 2016 season. More than 130 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball, including All-Stars
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