Naturals snap Riders four-game win streak with 9-4 win 

SPRINGDALE, Arkansas (August 30, 2024) – The Frisco RoughRiders were defeated by the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 9-4 on Friday evening from Arvest Ballpark.

Box Score

Frisco (31-24, 75-49) jumped ahead in the top of the first inning against Northwest Arkansas (26-28, 61-62) starter Steven Zobac (6-2). Cody Freeman put the Riders in front with a triple that allowed Josh Hatcher to score from first base. Freeman later scored on a two-out single by Luis Mieses, making it 2-0.

In the visiting half of the second inning, Tucker Mitchell tripled to start the frame and scored on an RBI groundout by Alejandro Osuna. Hatcher extended the RoughRiders lead to 4-0 with a solo homer to right, his 10th of the season.

Northwest Arkansas erupted for four runs in the home half of the fourth inning against Frisco starter Nick Krauth (8-6), tying the game at 4-4. The Naturals sent eight batters to the plate, using RBI doubles from Tyler Tolbert and Luca Tresh paired with an RBI single by Josh Lester to even the game.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Tolbert collected his second double of the night before scoring on an RBI single by Lester. After picking up the first inning Krauth exited, giving way to Bryan Chi with runners at the corners. Chi allowed an RBI single to River Town that pushed the Naturals lead to 6-4 before picking up a strikeout and a groundout to end the frame.

Krauth finished after 4.1 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out a pair.

Chi ran into trouble in the bottom of the eighth inning, allowing three runs on a hit and two walks to make it a 9-4 advantage for the Naturals. Kai Wynyard, making his Double-A debut, issued a walk and allowed a hit while picking up both of his outs via strikeouts.

The Riders were held hitless after the third inning, but were paced offensively by Hatcher’s 2-for-4 night. Aaron Zavala extended his hitting streak to nine games in the loss.

The RoughRiders continue a six-game set on the road against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals affiliate) at 6:05 p.m. on Friday, August 28th. The Riders have not announced a starter against RHP Ben Kudrna (1-3, 5.34) for the Naturals.

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].