On a cruise in Corpus Christi
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS (JUNE 15, 2014) - The Frisco RoughRiders rode a six-run fifth inning to victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks by an 10-2 final score on Saturday night at Whataburger Field.
Trailing 2-0 at the start of the frame, the 'Riders sent nine men to the plate and scored half a dozen runs on an equal number of hits to surpass and pull away from the Hooks.
Odubel Herrera led off the fifth with an infield single and subsequently scored when Drew Robinson smoked a gap shot two-bagger to right.
After Edwin Garcia reached with a single, Jake Skole shot a sharp ground ball to the mound that deflected off starting pitcher Brady Rodgers. Robinson scored from third to tie the game at two.
The RoughRiders would go on to blow the game open when Teodoro Martinez cranked a two-run double to left and Trever Adams obliterated a two-run home run to center. Four runs scored in three at-bats and the 'Riders stormed out to a 6-2 lead they would not relinquish.
For Adams, the home run snapped a 0-for-12 slump at the plate.
Luke Jackson (8-2) notched his Texas League-leading eighth win of the season in an abbreviated, 73-pitch performance. The right-hander grappled with his command early (three walks over a two-inning span), but finished strong with two runs allowed on one hit with three walks and three strikeouts over five innings.
Conversely, Brady Rodgers (1-9) underwent his sixth straight loss and now leads the Texas League outright in that category. He allowed one hit through the first four innings before the 'Riders mauled the right-hander in the fifth.
Frisco's bullpen built on what Jackson started and conceded only one baserunner over the final four frames. Jon Edwards, in perhaps his best outing of the season, pitched three shutout innings with one walk and six strikeouts.
Jimmy Reyes closed out the Hooks in the ninth and faced the minimum with one strikeout.
With the win, the RoughRiders (40-27) earn a series split with the Hooks and arrive at the 40-win plateau in the season's first half. It marks the sixth time in franchise history the 'Riders have won 40 or more contests before the midway point.
Corpus Christi (33-35) can no longer finish the first half with a winning record and falls to 6-10 against the RoughRiders in 2014.
The Hooks opened the scoring in every game of the series. Rene Garcia hit a fortuitous grounder past Joey Gallo at third base to drive in a run and stake Corpus Christi to an early 1-0 lead.
On the play, the Hooks sent their runners on second and third in motion, which prompted Gallo to cover his base in the event of a throw from catcher Tomás Telis.
When Garcia put the ball in play, Gallo was situated in a normal position and an otherwise routine groundball escaped into left field for a run-scoring knock.
In the third inning, the Hooks did not register a hit, but added to their run column nonetheless. Delino DeShields, Jr. drew a walk and showcased his speed when he advanced two bases on a sacrifice bunt by Ruben Sosa.
DeShields eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Nolan Fontana and the Hooks took their fourth 2-0 lead of the series.
The Hooks' offense fell silent the rest of the night, while Frisco's ignited and set the cruise control. The RoughRiders scored in four of the final five innings and scored against all three Corpus Christi pitchers in the game.
Martinez drove in his third run of the ballgame with an RBI single in the sixth.
Two innings later, a fly ball by Telis rode the jet stream to deep left-center field and one-hopped over the fence for a rulebook double that scored Garcia.
Finally, in the ninth inning, Robinson cranked his first home run since May 22 over the wall in left to put the 'Riders at the decade mark.
The first leg of their 12-game road trip now complete, the RoughRiders head northwest to Midland to begin a four-game series against the RockHounds on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. CDT. Coverage begins at 5:40 p.m. on www.ridersbaseball.com with the Frisco RoughRiders Pregame Show.
The 'Riders next play at Dr Pepper Ballpark on Wednesday, June 25 against the Arkansas Travelers at 7:05 p.m. For tickets to see the 'Riders in 2014, call 972-731-9200, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.ridersbaseball.com.