Riders drop back-and-forth battle with Tulsa 8-7

TULSA, Okla. (July 6, 2017)- In a game that featured five lead changes, the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, were outlasted 8-7 by the Tulsa Drillers Thursday night at ONEOK Field.
BIG MOMENTS

• Tulsa's Jose Fernandez blasted a go-ahead, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth against Riders reliever Connor Sadzeck to give the Drillers an 8-7 lead. Fernandez also delivered a go-ahead, three-run home run in the sixth, erasing a 5-3 deficit.
• Jose Cardona's RBI double in the eighth broke a 6-6 tie to give the Riders a 7-6 advantage after Royce Bolinger's RBI groundout tied the game in the seventh.
• Luis Marté's two-run home run in the top of the fourth broke a 3-3 tie to put the Riders in front 5-3.

KEY RIDERS PERFORMERS

• Luis Marte: 2-4, home run, two RBIs, run
• Michael De Leon: 3-4, double, two RBIs, run
• Jose Cardona: 2-4, double, RBI, run
• Jose Trevino: 2-5, double, two runs

NEWS AND NOTES

• Luis Marte continued his recent surge with a home run Thursday. The Riders infielder is hitting .478 (11-23) on his current six-game hitting streak.
• Michael De Leon recorded his second three-hit game and 18^th multiple-hit performance.
• Scott Heineman extended his on-base streak to 21 games with a walk in the top of the seventh inning.
• The Drillers have scored 15 of their 20 runs in this series in the sixth inning or later.

WHAT'S NEXT
Riders at Tulsa, Friday, 7:05 p.m.
Probables: RHP Tyler Davis (0-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. RHP Andrew Sopko (1-4, 3.74 ERA)
Video: MiLB.tv
Audio: RidersBaseball.com, TuneIn Radio App, MiLB First Pitch App
About the RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and play their games at beautiful Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas. The team was founded in 2003 and has finished first among all Double-A franchises in attendance in each of the last 12 seasons (2005-2016). In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg. The new ownership group, together with the city of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise improvements over the past two seasons, investing nearly $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a new state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, InTouch Grille, Riders Outpost Team Store, and the newest and biggest creation, the 174-foot Choctaw Lazy River. The upgrades made prior to the 2015 season earned the Riders and the City of Frisco "Best Ballpark Renovation" of 2015 by Ballpark Digest. The same publication also honored the Choctaw Lazy River as the best ballpark improvement over $1 million for the 2016 season. More than 130 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball, including All-Stars Chris Davis, Adrián González, Ian Kinsler, and Nelson Cruz, as well as current Rangers stars Elvis Andrus, Rougned Odor and Nomar Mazara. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders and Dr Pepper Ballpark, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact Art Garcia at [email protected] or Ryan Rouillard at [email protected].