Duenez's go-ahead home run sends Naturals past Riders 2-1

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (August 11, 2017) - Northwest Arkansas slugger Samir Dueñez delivered a go-ahead home run in the sixth, sending the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, to a 2-1 defeat against the Naturals Friday night at Arvest Ballpark.
BIG MOMENTS

• Samir Duenez's solo blast to right field in the sixth broke a 1-1 tie, delivering the lead for the Naturals.
• Luis Marté homered in his first at-bat since rejoining the club earlier in the day, putting the Riders ahead 1-0 in the third.
• Northwest Arkansas tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, scoring on Mauricio Ramos' RBI groundout.
• Riders starter Yohander Méndez pitched two scoreless innings in his first outing since returning from the disabled list. Pedro Payano tossed 5 innings of relief, suffering the loss. The righty yielded two runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

KEY RIDERS PERFORMERS

• Michael O'Neill: 2-3
• Luis Marte: 1-3, home run, RBI, run
• Yohander Mendez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Pedro Payano: 5+ IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

NEWS AND NOTES

• Isiah Kiner-Falefa pulled into a tie for the league lead in doubles, notching his 28th of the season in the fourth inning.
• The Riders finished the night 0-8 with runners in scoring position and are batting just .136 in such situations in the last 13 games.
• After getting swept in the first three games of the season series, Northwest Arkansas has won three of the past four head-to-head contests.
• 12 of the Riders' past 14 games have been decided by three runs or fewer. In those games the Riders are averaging 2.6 runs per game.

WHAT'S NEXT
Riders at Northwest Arkansas, Saturday, 6:05 p.m.
Probables: RHP Richelson Peña (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. LHP Foster Griffin (8-4, 3.62 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].