RoughRiders bring brooms, sweep Naturals

SPRINGDALE, ARK. (APRIL 12, 2014) - The Frisco RoughRiders won their fourth straight game on Saturday night with a 15-2 blowout victory over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. The resounding win gave the RoughRiders a series sweep of the Naturals and moved the team's overall record above .500 for the first time this season.

After a quiet night offensively in game two of the series, Frisco (5-4) regained the form displayed in the opener with an impressive night at the plate. All nine batters in the order tallied at least one base hit and eight different baserunners scored for the 'Riders. Seven different hitters drove in a run as the production at the plate was evenly dispersed throughout the lineup. The offense scored the most runs in a game since a 19-run outburst on July 22, 2011.

Trever Adams helped the 'Riders illuminate the scoreboard for the first time with a double to deep center field in the first inning. The bash scored Rougned Odor and Jake Smolinski, and Frisco jumped to an early 2-0 lead.

The RoughRiders scored first in every game of the series. Adams' hit also marked the second time the 'Riders took a 2-0 advantage on a two-out base hit.

Frisco's momentum carried over into the second inning. The 'Riders put the first two runners on for Luis Sardinas, who picked up his second RBI of the season on a fielder's choice that drove Chris Grayson home from third.

That set the scene for Odor, who took Naturals' starting pitcher Greg Billo to task on a two-run home run. The 'Riders had their largest lead of the series at that point with the score 5-0 in the top of the second.

Northwest Arkansas broke the shutout in the bottom of the frame on a solo home run by Justin Trapp. RoughRiders' starting pitcher Alec Asher recovered quickly and did not allow another run until the fifth when Parker Morin scored on an Ethan Chapman single.

Asher scattered five hits over six innings on the hill and the right-hander's fastball played a role in many of his six strikeouts.

In the third inning, Asher needed to keep his arm loose in the dugout while his teammates went on a tear at the plate. Frisco put six consecutive batters on the bases before the Naturals recorded an out. The Naturals pulled Billo from the game with nobody down and the bases loaded in the third, but reliever Andy Ferguson failed to quell the RoughRiders' bats.

Grayson started the scoring with a two-run single and scored shortly thereafter on a two-run double from Sardinas. To add insult to injury, Guilder Rodriguez, who started the game in left field, scored from third on a fielding error by Cheslor Cuthbert.

The 'Riders batted around the horn in the third and effectively put the game out of reach with a 10-1 lead.

Frisco continued to swing for the fences, however, and reached them on several more occasions.

Odor continued a monster night at the plate with his second home run of the game in the fifth inning. It was the third long ball of the season for Odor, who finished 4-for-6 at the dish on Saturday with four runs, three RBIs and one triple shy of the cycle.

The second blast of the night for Odor extended Frisco's lead to 11-1. In the eighth, Smolinski joined his teammate with a solo home run of his own to push the margin to 12-2.

Not to be outdone, Jordan Brown joined the fray with a two-run home run in the final inning to put an exclamation point on the win. Brown became the ninth RoughRider to record a base hit in the contest with his second home run of the series.

The 'Riders pummeled the Naturals for eight home runs in two games at Arvest Ballpark. The win streak now stands at four games and they have yet to lose on the road this season. The team takes a 4-2 edge in the season series against Northwest Arkansas.

Frisco will remain in the Natural State for the duration of the road trip. The squad now heads to North Little Rock for a three-game series with the Arkansas Travelers. Coverage begins live on www.ridersbaseball.com at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. The RoughRiders next play at Dr Pepper Ballpark on Thursday, April 17 at 7:05 p.m. against Corpus Christi. For tickets to see the 'Riders in 2014, call 972-731-9200, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.ridersbaseball.com.