Riders erase five-run deficit, take down Hooks 8-6

FRISCO, Texas (June 28, 2024) – The Frisco RoughRiders earned a comeback victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks 8-6 on Friday evening from Riders Field.

Box Score

Trailing by a score of 6-5, Cody Freeman stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh and belted a three-run homer to complete the RoughRiders (3-1, 47-26) five-run comeback.

After Frisco starter Winston Santos struck out the first batter he faced at the Double-A level, Corpus Christi’s (1-3, 27-46) Brice Matthews singled and then scored on a two-run homer by Jacob Melton. Santos went on to strike out the side.

Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the first frame, Alejandro Osuna ripped a leadoff double to left center in his first at bat for Frisco, but was stranded at second base.

Jacob Melton extended the Corpus Christi lead to 4-0 in the top of the third with his second two-run homer of the game. Zach Dezenzo tacked on another run with a solo shot in the frame.

Santos gave way to Bryan Chi in the third inning, lasting 2.2 innings while surrendering a season-high five earned runs on seven hits with five punchouts.

The Riders got on the board when Frainyer Chavez homered to left, a three-run jack that cut the deficit to 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth.

In the top of the sixth, Collin Price got a run back for Corpus Christi with an RBI double that brought Colin Barber across the plate, making it a 6-3 game.

Chi held the Hooks to just one run on three hits across 2.2 innings, striking out a pair before handing the ball to Skylar Hales (1-0). Hales, making his Double-A debut, tossed 1.2 scoreless, hitless frames while striking out four.

Abimelec Ortiz delivered an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth, scoring Freeman before Chavez provided an RBI groundout to bring the Riders within a run, 6-5.

Freeman’s three-run bomb in the bottom of the seventh against James Hicks (0-1) propelled the Riders to an 8-6 lead, bringing the score to its final resting place.

Tyler Owens picked up his fourth save of the season, spinning a scoreless ninth that featured a strikeout.

Offensively, the Riders notched 12 hits. Osuna, Freeman, Ortiz, Chavez and Aaron Zavala each collected multi-hit games. Chavez paced the offense with four RBI.

The RoughRiders continue a six-game series with the Hooks (Houston Astros) at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, June 29th. RHP Dane Acker (3-2, 3.00) will take the mound for the Riders against RHP Tyler Guilfoil (3-6, 3.92) for the Hooks.

Join us for the first-ever Anime collaborative partnership event with Anime Wonder on Saturday, June 29th! Cheer on your RoughRiders and enjoy Anime artists & exhibitors, Japanese and Asian food, cosplayers, cultural performances and more. Plus, kids can run the bases after the game, presented by our friends at Raising Cane's.

For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.

About the RoughRiders

The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the 2022 Texas League champions. In 2023, the team celebrated its 20th anniversary and has consistently finished in the top five among all Double-A franchises in attendance yearly. In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg. Since then, the new ownership group, together with the City of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise enhancements, investing over $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, Bullpen Bar, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world's largest water feature in a sports facility, the massive Lazy River. These enhancements earned the Riders and the City of Frisco Ballpark Digest's prestigious "Best Ballpark Renovation" award for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). More than 200 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball including current Rangers Josh Jung, Evan Carter and Leody Taveras. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact [email protected].