Mondou's Big Night Leads RockHounds to Win

RockHounds 7, Frisco RoughRiders 2     
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Security Bank Ballpark
Logan Verrett and Nate Mondou gave the RockHounds just what the "baseball doctor" ordered - - a tremendous pitching performance and a big night at the plate, respectively, in a 7-2 win over the Frisco RoughRiders Saturday night at Security Bank Ballpark.
Verrett went seven innings, allowing just two runs on four hits to earn the win. The right-hander did not walk a batter with eight strikeouts (see below) and the seven-inning stint made the performance all the better, requiring just two innings from a bullpen that had been used heavily in the first two games of the series.
Frisco took a 1-0 lead into the fourth, when Luke Persico drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a Pedro Payano wild pitch. Mondou then sent an RBI double into the right field corner and, on the next pitch, Jonah Heim flared an opposite-field two-base hit down the left field line to score Mondou as the 'Hounds took a 2-1 lead.
Christian Lopes singled with one out in the Frisco sixth and stole second. He scored the game-tying run when Preston Beck's two-out low line drive up the middle narrowly escaped the diving effort of shortstop Edwin Diaz.
The RockHounds then took a page out of Frisco's book from the previous two games with a big inning, scoring five runs in the home half of the sixth to take command.
Dairon Blanco greeted reliever Jairo Beras with a sharp leadoff single up the middle. Mondou was next and quickly fell behind in the count, 0-2. Blanco ran twice, with Nate fouling off two-strike pitches both times. He fouled off one more while evening the count at 2-2, then ripped a line drive into the right field bullpen. The two-run home run, Mondou's first at the Double-A level, broke the 2-2 tie and would be the game-winning swing.
The 'Hounds added three more runs, including RBI singles from Chase Calabuig and Mikey White, with Verrett and relievers John Gorman and Zack Erwin sealing the win.
Notable
The RockHounds (18-16) moved back to within a game-and-a-half of the RoughRiders (20-15) in the Texas League South with the win.
Saturday's game marked the half-way point of the first half pennant race. Sunday's series finale will be a two-game swing - - the Riders will depart with a lead of either two-and-a-half games ... or just a half-game.
Logan Verrett's night got off to a less than auspicious start, as Christian Lopez sent the game's first pitch to the base of the wall in left-center for a double. He later scored on Juremi Profar's two-out line drive single to left field as Frisco took a 1-0 lead. After giving up Profar's RBI base hit, Verrett then retired the next 14 Frisco batters.
Cool stat: Verrett faced 25 batters and got ahead of eight of them with 0-2 counts.
In his last five games, Nate Mondou is 7-for-18 (.389), with four runs, one double, two triples, his first AA home run, and four RBI. Nate may not be known for his power, but that's an .833 slugging percentage for the five-game stretch, during which he has raised his season batting average from .211 to .245.
Mikey White, who had a three-hit game Friday, went 2-for-5 with an RBI in the Saturday night win and is now 5-for-his-last-9 with a double and three RBI. He has three multi-hit games (two of them three-hit nights) in his last six contests.
Chase Calabuig broke out of his first "mini-slump" (1-for-13), going 2-for-5 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base. Chase now has 13 RBI in just 18 games (games with at least one plate appearance ... he has been a pinch runner twice).
Next Game
Sunday, May 12    vs. Frisco RoughRiders
Security Bank Ballpark           2:00 p.m. (Gates open 1:30)
Postgame Fireworks
- Final of a four-game series and homestand
- Radio: NewsTalk 550 with Bob Hards ... airtime 1:47 p.m.
Probable Starters
FRI: Edgar Arredondo (RH,    3-1, 5.76)
RH: Daulton Jefferies (RH,    0-0, 3.00)