RoughRiders stumble in sloppy outing
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (MAY 18, 2014) - A poor fifth inning by the Frisco RoughRiders' defense, combined with another leaky performance by the bullpen, translated to a 9-5 loss to the San Antonio Missions on Sunday afternoon at Wolff Stadium.
San Antonio scored eight unanswered runs and Frisco again lost an early lead. The unorthodox day game featured three ejections (both managers and a player) and five combined errors, while the Missions drew eight walks and a hit batter. For the second straight game, San Antonio grabbed the lead with a five runs in one inning.
Ryan Bores (1-1) suffered his first career loss with the RoughRiders. The right-hander gave up four runs (three earned) and seven hits over two innings and struck out three.
Bores also inherited three baserunners when he entered the game in relief of Jon Edwards with two outs in the fifth. All three men crossed on Bores' watch, although they appear in Edwards' stat line.
Reliever Jeff Ibarra (1-0) recorded his first decision of the season. Pitching in relief of starter John Hussey, the southpaw faced just one batter but tallied two outs when he induced an inning-ending double play from Odubel Herrera.
With the loss, Frisco (26-17) has fallen in four of its last five and clings to a one-game lead over the Midland RockHounds for first in the south division.
San Antonio (19-24) wins consecutive games against the RoughRiders and has defeated Frisco five times at Wolff Stadium this season.
Frisco sprung to a 4-0 lead in the first inning with the help of three San Antonio errors. Hussey could not field a nubber off the bat of Patrick Cantwell and the RoughRiders' catcher reached on an error by the pitcher.
After Hussey uncorked a wild pitch, his catcher, Robert Kral, also threw wildly and Cantwell dug around to third base.
Jake Smolinski brought Cantwell home to put the 'Riders up 1-0. It was Smolinski's team-leading 24th RBI of the season.
A Tomás Telis single placed two men on base for the RoughRiders, who subsequently loaded the bases when Trever Adams reached on the third Missions error of the inning, this one charged to first baseman Lee Orr.
When Ryan Rua singled to center field, Smolinski scored to put Frisco up 2-0. Telis tried to score from second base on the same play, but center fielder Rymer Liriano threw him out at home.
The 'Riders still managed to double their total in the first on an RBI double by Herrera, and scored four unearned runs in the frame.
Staked to a four-run lead, starter Kyle Lotzkar labored through his first three outs on the mound. The right-hander allowed four walks, the last of which brought a run home.
In spite of the early trouble, Lotzkar did not allow a hit in the first and struck out Yeison Asencio looking to uphold a 4-1 Frisco lead.
The score held until the top of the fourth inning when the 'Riders put a pair on board to open the frame and Cantwell sacrificed Teodoro Martinez home to make the score 5-1.
Martinez eluded a tag at home plate by the San Antonio catcher Kral, and although replay upheld the call by home plate umpire Clay Park, both Kral and his manager Rich Dauer were ejected from the game.
The game plodded on into the fifth, and San Antonio took the lead with a five-run effort. It marked the second straight game the Missions posted a five-run inning, and on Sunday, the RoughRiders' defense played a role.
Edwards pitched in relief of Lotzkar (3.0IP, H, 5BB, 3SO) and worked himself into a jam after a routine fourth inning. Liriano drew a walk with one out and the Missions put their second man on when Cantwell was charged with catcher's interference.
Two walks from Edwards later, and the Missions scored their second run of the afternoon on a bases loaded walk.
Jason Wood saw enough from Edwards with two outs and the bases loaded in a 5-2 ballgame, and Bores trotted out from the bullpen.
Bores may have found a way out of the inning were it not for a fielding error on Rua, the second 'Riders error of the frame. Another run scored on the gaffe and the Missions drew within two.
Frisco's righty on the mound could not rally and the Missions charged for back-to-back base knocks to take their first lead of the contest. Two runs scored on a Reymond Fuentes single to center and the fifth Missions run of the inning crossed on a double by Adam Buschini.
The Missions added insurance in the following inning when Asencio sacrificed Liriano, his countryman from the Dominican Republic, home from third and San Antonio took a 7-5 lead.
Bores returned to the mound for the seventh inning and retired the first two batters he faced. But the native of Ohio wilted and could not close out the inning as three more San Antonio hits led to two runs and a 9-5 advantage after seven.
Austin Hedges, in the game because of Kral's ejection, doubled in Buschini and touched home himself when Liriano singled to center.
Keone Kela entered the game and struck out Hagerty to end the inning.
As Frisco worked to spark a rally in the eighth, Martinez lined to center with Herrera on second base and two outs. In another controversial call at home plate, Herrera was ruled out at the plate to end the inning. The ruling drew the ire of Wood, who became the third recipient of a Park ejection in the game.
After a night off, the 'Riders and Missions will arise bright and early for their series finale at 11:05 a.m. Coverage begins at 1:40 p.m. on www.ridersbaseball.com with the Frisco RoughRiders Pregame Show.
The RoughRiders return to Dr Pepper Ballpark on Wednesday, May 21 to begin a three-game series with the Tulsa Drillers. For tickets to see the 'Riders in 2014, call 972-731-9200, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.ridersbaseball.com.