Frisco erupts for 12 runs, down Naturals to earn series win

SPRINGDALE, Arkansas (September 1, 2024) – The Frisco RoughRiders defeated the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 12-7 on Sunday evening from Arvest Ballpark.

Box Score

Frisco (32-25, 76-50) jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning against Northwest Arkansas (27-29, 62-63) starter Cruz Noriega (6-4). Abimelec Ortiz launched his third homer of the series, a three-run shot to give the Riders an early 3-0 lead.

The RoughRiders added four runs in the top of the second as they sent eight batters to the plate. Alejandro Osuna drove in two runs with an RBI single, plating Cooper Johnson and Keyber Rodriguez. Josh Hatcher added a pair of runs on an RBI double, extending his hit streak to seven consecutive at bats and giving the Riders a 7-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the second, the Naturals found the run column against Kohl Drake (2-1) on a solo homer by Diego Hernandez.

Northwest Arkansas struck again in the bottom of the third, using a Luca Tresh RBI double to cut the Riders lead to 7-2.

The Riders sent eight batters to the plate in the top of the fourth, manufacturing three more runs. Cody Freeman plated a pair of runs with an RBI single before Aaron Zavala pushed the Riders lead to 10-2.

Frisco added a run on Maximo Acosta’s sixth homer of the season to make it an 11-2 lead in the fifth.

Drake exited after 5.0 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while fanning three.

Dane Acker worked a pair of scoreless frames, surrendering just one hit while striking out three before handing the ball to Seth Clark. The lefty spun a scoreless eighth inning, but allowed a sacrifice fly to Josh Lester in the bottom of the ninth. Down to their final out, Carter Jensen belted a grand slam, cutting the Riders lead to 12-7 before picking up the final out.

Offensively, the Riders collected 12 hits. Acosta, Freeman, Hatcher and Zavala snagged multi-hit affairs. Acosta reached in all five of his plate appearances, working three walks for the first time in his career and scoring five times. Zavala extended his hit streak to 11 games.

The RoughRiders begin a six-game homestand against the Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota Twins affiliate) at 6:05 p.m. on Monday, September 2nd. The Riders will turn to RHP Ben Anderson (6-7, 3.90) against RHP C.J. Culpepper (0-1, 10.13) for the Wind Surge.

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 200 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]**.