Acker strong, Riders hold on late for Opening Day win

FRISCO, Texas (April 5, 2024) – The Frisco RoughRiders dropped the Wichita Wind Surge 6-4 on Opening Day from Riverfront Stadium on Friday night.

Box score

RoughRiders (1-0) starter Dane Acker set the tone early, throwing four no-hit innings to begin his start. He ended up tossing 4.2 frames, ceding just one run on three hits while striking out four an walking one.

On the offensive side, Frisco jumped out in front in the third when Aaron Zavala and Liam Hicks laced back-to-back doubles, the latter putting the Riders ahead 1-0.

Wichita (0-1) tied the game 1-1 in the fifth on a Noah Cardenas RBI single, but Frisco retook the lead in the sixth on a Josh Hatcher two-RBI knock.

In the seventh, Kellen Strahm ripped a two-run single of his own and Maximo Acosta added on with another RBI single, collecting his first career Double-A hits and RBI in Friday's game.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Wind Surge plated a pair of runs on a two-run double from Emmanuel Rodriguez, but Reid Birlingmair locked it down for the Riders.

In his Riders debut, Steven Jennings (1-0) earned the win while former RoughRider A.J. Alexy (0-1) was saddled with the loss for Wichita.

The RoughRiders and Wind Surge will meet for game two of the three game series on Saturday, April 6th at 6:05 p.m. from Riverfront Stadium. RHP Emiliano Teodo (0-0, -.--) will take the ball for Frisco against RHP Travis Adams (0-0, -.--) for Wichita.

The RoughRiders host their 2024 Home Opener on Tuesday, April 9th at 6:35 p.m. with tickets starting at just $11. For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.

About the RoughRiders

The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the 2022 Texas League champions. In 2023, the team celebrated its 20th anniversary and has consistently finished in the top five among all Double-A franchises in attendance yearly. In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg. Since then, the new ownership group, together with the City of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise enhancements, investing over $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, Bullpen Bar, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world's largest water feature in a sports facility, the massive Lazy River. These enhancements earned the Riders and the City of Frisco Ballpark Digest's prestigious "Best Ballpark Renovation" award for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). More than 190 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball including current Rangers Josh Jung, Evan Carter and Leody Taveras. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact [email protected].