Martinez hammers grand slam in victory over Amarillo

FRISCO, Texas (September 16, 2021) – The Frisco RoughRiders took an early lead and hung on late in a 4-1 win against the Amarillo Sod Poodles on Thursday night from HODGETOWN.

J.P. Martinez gave the RoughRiders (63-53) all the offense they would need with a grand slam in the third inning to make it 4-0. It was Martinez's second grand slam on the season and his fifth home run.

The Sod Poodles (57-60) found the scoreboard in the seventh when Eduardo Diaz blasted a solo home run to left center field, cutting the lead to 4-1, but the Riders pitching shut down Amarillo to secure the win.

Cole Winn started and struck out five over his three scoreless innings before Sal Mendez (6-3) took home the win out of the bullpen with four innings of work. Hever Bueno tossed the last two frames, rolling a double play in the ninth to end a two-on, one-out threat. Overall, the Riders held the Sod Poodles to just one run on six hits.

In his start, Drey Jameson (3-2) took the loss for Amarillo, ceding the grand slam, though he did strike out 12 over his six innings.

In the playoff picture, both Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas were handed losses on Thursday evening, meaning the RoughRiders are now in the second playoff spot by 0.5 games with three games remaining in the regular season. Frisco now controls their own destiny toward their first postseason birth since 2014.

The RoughRiders and Sod Poodles match up for game five of the series on Friday, September 16th at 7:05 p.m. RHP Tim Brennan (0-2, 2.70) starts for the RoughRiders against RHP Bryce Jarvis (1-2, 6.46)

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 in each of the last 15 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 160 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]