Riders, Missions split Wednesday twin bill
FRISCO, Texas (May 25, 2022) – The Frisco RoughRiders split their Wednesday doubleheader with the San Antonio Missions, as the Riders fell 8-1 in the first game but took game two by a score of 6-1 at Riders Field. The third inning in game two highlighted Wednesday’s twin bill, with
FRISCO, Texas (May 25, 2022) – The Frisco RoughRiders split their Wednesday doubleheader with the San Antonio Missions, as the Riders fell 8-1 in the first game but took game two by a score of 6-1 at Riders Field. The third inning in game two highlighted Wednesday’s twin bill, with Ezequiel Duran and David Garcia both homering to power the 6-1 win.
G1: Box score
G2: Box score
The game one loss ended a two-game win streak for Frisco (23-18), finishing with one unearned run on four hits. San Antonio (21-20) got a four-inning start from right-hander Matt Waldron, who allowed the lone Frisco unearned run in the first game.
The Missions scored quickly in the first with a leadoff double and RBI triple from Esteury Ruiz and Connor Hollis off Riders southpaw starter Avery Weems (1-4). Weems struck out four batters in his first six outs recorded before giving up three solo home runs in the third, sending San Antonio with a 5-0 lead into the fourth.
The Riders plated their lone run during game one in the bottom of the fourth, spawning from a two-out single from Blaine Crim. Duran bounded a ball to the left side of the Missions infield and reached on a fielding error, one of three San Antonio errors. Duran stole second, and the throw down leaked into center field for Crim to score from third and cutting the Missions lead to 5-1.
After two scoreless innings from Tai Tiedemann, Frisco sent Texas Rangers rehabber Jose Leclerc to the mound for his first appearance since July 2020. The Rangers announced Leclerc was scheduled to receive Tommy John surgery back in March 2021.
After one run in the top of the sixth, the Missions tucked game one away with two runs in the top of the seventh inning to finalize the score, 8-1.
The RoughRiders turned to left-handed starter Cody Bradford in game two, who retired nine of his first ten batters faced. Bradford gave up one run on three hits in the fourth inning but got out of it by retiring his last two batters faced. Grant Anderson (3-0) and Tim Brennan both struck out two batters relieving Bradford, combining for no runs in three innings.
Crim started the offense with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning off Reggie Lawson (0-4), part of his six runs allowed in 2.2 innings. Josh Stowers drove in Garcia in the bottom of the second, and Jonathan Ornelas plated Stowers to give the Riders a 3-0 lead after two innings.
A three-run third began with Duran’s home run, an opposite-field pole shot that stretched the Riders’ lead to 4-0. Dustin Harris walked in the following at-bat, setting up Garcia to knock his fourth of the year and give Frisco a 6-0 advantage.
The lone San Antonio run came in the top of the fourth on an RBI single from Juan Fernandez, cementing the score at 6-1 favoring Frisco.
The RoughRiders and Missions play their third game in the six-game series on Thursday at Riders Field with a 6:35 p.m. first-pitch time. Riders RHP Jack Leiter (1-4, 6.38 ERA) makes his eighth start of the season Thursday night, while Missions RHP Thomas Eshelman (2-3, 5.40 ERA) opposes Leiter and the Riders.
Thursday night is another Blue Norther Hard Seltzer Rowdy @ The River, with gates opening at 5:00 p.m. for Pregame Happy Hour. 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. The team was founded in 2003 and has finished first among all Double-A franchises in attendance for 15 consecutive seasons (2005-2019). 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, InTouch Grille, 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 170 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact [email protected].