Four-run fifth inning helps Naturals over RoughRiders, 7-5

SPRINGDALE, Arkansas (August 31, 2024) – The Frisco RoughRiders were defeated by the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 7-5 on Saturday evening from Arvest Ballpark.

Box Score

Frisco (31-25, 75-50) jumped out to an early lead in the top of the second inning against Northwest Arkansas (27-28, 62-62) starter Ben Kudrna (2-3). Cooper Johnson, who walked to open the inning, scored on a wild pitch before an RBI single by Alex De Goti gave the Riders a 2-0 lead.

After a scoreless first inning for Andy Rodriguez in his first professional start, the Naturals cut the deficit in half with a sacrifice fly from Peyton Wilson in the home half of the second.

Rodriguez picked up the first two outs in the bottom of the third before issuing back-to-back walks, forcing Jackson Kelley into the game. Northwest Arkansas added a run to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the third inning on a RBI single by Carter Jensen.

Rodriguez ended his outing after 2.2 innings, surrendering two runs on two hits and four walks with a pair of punchouts.

The RoughRiders regained the lead on a leadoff 415-foot home run from Johnson, his 12th homer of the season that gave Frisco a 3-2 advantage.

Josh Hatcher extended the lead to 4-2 with an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning, plating Maximo Acosta with his third hit of the game.

The Naturals chased Kelley from the game in the bottom of the fifth inning after opening the frame with a single and a walk. Larson Kindreich picked up two outs before walking a pair of batters, including a bases-loaded walk to Peyton Wilson. Dillan Shrum cleared the bases with a three-run double, giving the Naturals a 6-4 lead.

Damian Mendoza took over in the home half of the sixth and allowed a leadoff single to Leonel Valera, who later scored on a double steal to push the Naturals lead to 7-4. The righty allowed just one run on two hits and a walk while fanning two across 3.0 innings.

Trailing by three in the top of the ninth, the Riders saw the first three reach as Hatcher doubled home Daniel Mateo to make it a 7-5 game with nobody out. Beck Way retired the next three he faced, earning the save.

Hatcher’s five hits set a new career-high and paced the Riders offense. He also drove in two to lead the team. Acosta also recorded two hits as the top two in the order combined to go 7-for-10.

The RoughRiders conclude a six-game set on the road against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals affiliate) at 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, September 1st. The Riders will turn to LHP Kohl Drake (1-1, 4.91) against RHP Cruz Noriega (6-3, 5.37) 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].