RockHounds edge Frisco 2-1 to open road trip
RockHounds manager Fran Riordan and pitching coach Don Schulze are both dads and Beau Taylor gave them both a Father's Day gift on Sunday. Taylor's solo home run leading off the top of the ninth broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the 'Hounds to a 2-1 win over the RoughRiders in the opener of a
RockHounds manager Fran Riordan and pitching coach Don Schulze are both dads and
The tie-breaking home run could not have come at a better time. With the RockHounds bullpen running on empty, the prospect of extra innings was the last thing the club wanted. Taylor's swing took care of that.
The contest was a "tale of two games," with the teams locked in a scoreless tie through five innings. Both clubs scored and left the bases loaded in the sixth. With the two out and no one on,
Before Taylor's dramatic swing, the RockHounds escaped a major Frisco threat in the seventh. Leadoff batter Isiah Kiner-Falefa reached on a line drive that deflected off pitcher
Taylor took Brady Feigle's first pitch of the ninth inning out on a line drive over the right field wall and
Quick Notes:
With the win, the RockHounds assured themselves of at least a .500 first half as they are 35-34 with one to play and coupled with San Antonio's 2-1 win at Corpus Christi, guaranteed a second-place finish in the first half race.
Sunday's game was the opener of an eight-game road trip which will see the end of the Texas League first half and the start of the second half pennant race.
Yairo Munoz saw an 11-game hit streak come to an end and Max Schrock - playing for the first time in 19 days - lost a nine-gamer that began on May 16.
Reliever Lou Trivino is now tied for the Texas League lead in wins with seven.
On Deck:
The RockHounds and RoughRiders close the first half the Texas League season on Monday night at Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. with radio coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday's game between the 'Hounds and Riders will mark the start of the second half. The clubs also meet Wednesday afternoon at 12:05 p.m. before the RockHounds travel to San Antonio for a four-game series (June 22-25) with the first half champion Missions.
RHP Collin Wiles (5-3, 3.72 ERA) will be Frisco's starting pitcher on Monday night. The 23-year-old Kansas native is a sixth-year pro, who spent his first two seasons at the Rookie and Short-A levels, and was selected by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 2012 draft (53rd overall) out of Blue Valley West High School out of Overland Park, Kansas. Wiles, who ranks ninth in the Texas League with a 3.72 ERA, makes his third start against the RockHounds (1-0, 3.55 ERA, 12.2 IP, 16 H, 5 R/5 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 1.42 WHIP and .327 opponent average).
For the RockHounds,
Rated Oakland's #2 prospect by both Baseball America and MLB.com, Puk opened the season - his first full pro year - with the Stockton Ports of the Class-A Advanced California League. He went 4-5 with a 3.69 ERA (14 games/11 starts), allowing just 44 hits in 61innings, walking 23 and striking out 98. His line with Stockton includes a .196 opponent batting average, a 1.10 WHIP and a 4.3:1 strikeouts to walks ratio, averaging 14.46 K's per 9 IP. A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who makes his home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Puk turned 22 on April 25.