RoughRiders route Amarillo on Opening Day
FRISCO, Texas (April 6, 2023) – In front of a crowd of over 8,000 on Opening Day, the Frisco RoughRiders thumped the Amarillo Sod Poodles 12-4 on Thursday night from Riders Field. After a back-and-forth affair, a six-run fifth inning separated the Riders for good. Box Score Frisco (1-0) jumped
FRISCO, Texas (April 6, 2023) – In front of a crowd of over 8,000 on Opening Day, the Frisco RoughRiders thumped the Amarillo Sod Poodles 12-4 on Thursday night from Riders Field. After a back-and-forth affair, a six-run fifth inning separated the Riders for good.
Frisco (1-0) jumped out in front early in the second with four runs. Scott Kapers dribbled an infield RBI single to third for the first tally before a wild pitch brought in Thomas Saggese to make it 2-0. Evan Carter then extended the lead to 4-0 with a two-run triple, which was dropped to a single after he missed second base upon appeal.
In the third, the Sod Poodles (0-1) struck back with a Jordan Lawlar two-run home run off of Frisco starter Jack Leiter to make it 4-2 Frisco.
After a two-run shot from Amarillo's Adrian Del Castillo in the fourth tied the game at 4-4, the Riders jumped back out in front 6-4 on a Kapers sacrifice fly and a throwing error by the pitcher Bryce Jarvis (0-1), allowing Diosbel Arias to score.
In the fifth, Frisco poured it on. Trevor Hauver blew the game open with a grand slam to right, the first RoughRiders home run of the season, before Kapers added an RBI triple and Carter plated another run with an RBI single to balloon the lead to 12-4.
Carter, Dustin Harris, Kapers and Kellen Strahm all collected multi-hit nights as the Riders banged out 10 hits.
In his start Leiter, allowed four runs on three hits, three walks with five strikeouts. He went 4.1 innings, retiring the first man he saw in the fifth before the bullpen took over for 4.2 scoreless innings.
Grant Anderson (1-0) earned the win for his 2.2 innings, paired with a scoreless frame by Alex Speas and a scoreless ninth inning for Theo McDowell.
Next, the Riders and Sod Poodles meet for the second game of the three-game series at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, April 7th. RHP Owen White (0-0, -.--) takes the ball for Frisco against RHP Luke Albright (0-0, -.--).
Friday features a 2022 Texas League Champions Poster giveaway at the gates, postgame fireworks and a pregame autograph session with the team, so get your tickets now atRidersBaseball.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].