Ball Bounces Away from Hooks
CORPUS CHRISTI - Guilder Rodriguez's two-out, full-count bounding bad-hop base hit over first baseman Telvin Nash scored Odubel Herrera and Ryan Rua as Frisco defeated Corpus Christi 7-5 in 10 innings Thursday night at Whataburger Field.
The Hooks have dropped four straight and are 0-3 to start the second half of Texas League play. Frisco stands 1-1.
Michael Dimock (1-4) walked Trever Adams to open the 10th, but catcher Tyler Heineman erased Adams on a stolen base attempt. Herrera reached when third baseman Jonathan Meyer committed a fielding error. Rua followed by singling for the third time and Dimock walked Drew Robinson before striking out Jake Skole, who'd doubled in the seventh and ninth.
Will Lamb (1-0) gained the win and Phil Klein pitched a perfect 10th for his ninth save.
At the outset, Frisco starter Luke Jackson and counterpart Kyle Smith booked three shutout frames on two hits. The RoughRiders filled the bases with an out in the fourth as Jake Smolinski worked a walk and Joey Gallo and Adams collected consecutive singles. Smith caught Herrera looking at a called third strike and then Frisco stopped playing station-to-station. Rua singled to right-center and Robinson doubled the same direction, each picking up two RBIs.
Corpus Christi answered by getting on the board via Ruben Sosa's lead-off infield hit, a wild pitch and Meyer's two-out, two-strike single into left field.
Adams' third hit of the night off Smith, an opening double to left, led to the fifth Frisco tally two innings later. Rua again did the honors, his one-out single to right plating the Frisco first baseman.
Smith threw 91 pitches (59 strikes) over six complete, surrendered eight hits and walked one. He struck out five.
Jackson was soon lifted, too. He walked Jio Mier and Heineman to begin the home seventh and handed the ball over to Randy Henry, who was no relief. Henry promptly plunked Nash on the left shoulder and nicked Delino DeShields, Jr., pushing home Corpus Christi's second run. Sosa then drew a bases-loaded walk and Nolan Fontana dumped a game-tying single into right-center.
Jon Edwards came in to shut the door, fanning Meyer and Carlos Perdomo in the process. Edwards went on to retire all seven Hooks he faced, fanning four.
Jackson permitted seven hits, two walks and struck out six over 94 pitches (60).
Dimock, on for Mitchell Lambson, pitched around two-one, one-out peril during the RoughRiders' ninth, fanning Smolinski and Gallo.
Brady Rodgers (1-9) draws Friday's Hooks pitching assignment against Alex Gonzalez (1-1). Bud Light's 100th Friday Fireworks display illuminates the sky postgame and the first 500 kids 4-12 eat free, courtesy of metroPCS.
Gates open 5:40, first pitch 7:10.