Riders mount comeback win in front of massive crowd
FRISCO, Texas (June 25, 2023) – The Frisco RoughRiders scored seven unanswered runs, taking the lead on an Evan Carter three-run homer in the seventh inning, and beat the Springfield Cardinals 9-6 in front of 9,335 fans at Riders Field on Sunday. Box Score Frisco (31-37) closed the Springfield series
FRISCO, Texas (June 25, 2023) – The Frisco RoughRiders scored seven unanswered runs, taking the lead on an Evan Carter three-run homer in the seventh inning, and beat the Springfield Cardinals 9-6 in front of 9,335 fans at Riders Field on Sunday.
Frisco (31-37) closed the Springfield series on a three-game win streak to split the series and conclude the first half of the 2023 season. Springfield (34-35) had a chance to win the series with four-run leads on Friday and Sunday but the Riders erased both deficits.
The Cardinals threatened Frisco's 9-6 lead in the ninth, putting the tying run aboard with one out on three straight singles. Antoine Kelly induced a double-play ball and got out of the inning unscathed to record the save.
The RoughRiders struck first on Sunday, starting with Carter's leadoff double in the first inning. He scored on Thomas Saggese's RBI double, and Aaron Zavala chipped in a two-out RBI single to make it 2-0.
Springfield, however, scored six unanswered runs and led 6-2 until the seventh inning.
Frisco strung together four straight hits to open the seventh and knocked Springfield's starter Kenny Hernandez out of the game. Ryan Shreve (0-2) entered and allowed three more hits, including Carter's go-ahead home run to the lazy river in right field.
Alex Speas (3-0) did not allow a hit or run in 1.2 innings for the win. Justin Slaten also had a scoreless appearance, holding off Springfield in the eighth inning without a base runner allowed.
Luisangel Acuña, Zavala and Saggese all had two hits with a double.
The RoughRiders racked up 13 hits and stranded just three runners, while nine different batters recorded a hit. That included Josh Hatcher, who added a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning. Liam Hicks followed with an RBI single to score an insurance run.
The RoughRiders hit the road for a six-game series in San Antonio that begins Wednesday. The next home game for Frisco is on July 4th at 7:05 for Stars and Stripes Night, presented by Rhythm Energy, including a double fireworks show after the game. Get your tickets now at 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 is celebrating 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 185 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball including current Rangers Josh Jung, Cole Ragans and Bubba Thompson. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact [email protected].