Riders quieted after early surge, fall 9-3 in series finale

FRISCO, Texas (September 1, 2017) - After a roaring start to Friday's game, the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, came up short in a 9-3 loss to Corpus Christi Hooks in front of 9,643 fans at Dr Pepper Ballpark.
BIG MOMENTS

• Luke Tendler's three-run double highlighted a three-run first inning as the Riders surged to an early 3-0 lead, chasing Hooks starter Framber Valdez out of the game after 1/3 of an inning.
• A trio of Hooks relievers combined to work 8 2/3 scoreless innings the rest of the way, yielding just four hits.
• The Hooks staged a two-out rally in the third, scoring four times to take a 4-3 lead. A three-run seventh helped expand the cushion for the Hooks, who were led by Kyle Tucker (3-5, two doubles, three RBIs).

KEY RIDERS PERFORMERS

• Luke Tendler: 1-3, double, walk, three RBIs
• Michael O'Neill: 2-4, walk
• Nick Gardewine: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

NEWS AND NOTES

• Corpus Christi scored six of its nine runs with two outs.
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa pushed his hitting streak to nine games with a single in the seventh.
• Starting pitcher Richelson Peña opened with 2 2/3 scoreless innings, running his scoreless streak to a team-best 17 innings.
• Scott Heineman lost his 12-game hitting streak and an 18-game on-base streak with an 0-5 night.

WHAT'S NEXT
Riders vs. Midland, Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
Probables: RHP Ariel Jurado (9-11, 4.71 ERA) vs. RHP Casey Meisner (4-4, 4.25 ERA)
Tickets: Click here
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].