Riders magic number down to three after 4-3 walk-off win over Sod Poodles

FRISCO, Texas (June 14, 2024) – The Frisco RoughRiders defeated the Amarillo Sod Poodles 4-3 on a walk-off single in the 10th inning on Friday evening from Riders Field.

Box Score

Frisco (41-20) started the scoring against Amarillo (26-35) in the bottom of the first when Kellen Strahm came around to score on a fielder’s choice.

Leading 1-0 in the bottom of the third, Cody Freeman plated Strahm with a sacrifice fly to give the Riders a 2-0 lead.

Ivan Melendez tied the game at 2-2 with a two-run double in the top of the fourth, plating Tim Tawa and A.J. Vukovich.

Strahm gave the Riders a 3-2 lead with a base hit in the bottom of the fifth against starter Yu-Min Lin, who exited after 5.0 innings of three-run ball.

Nick Krauth worked into the sixth inning, ending his day after tossing 5.2 innings while allowing two runs on four hits and three walks with three punchouts.

Robby Ahlstrom kept Amarillo at bay with 1.1 scoreless and hitless frames before handing the ball to Reid Birlingmair.

Melendez knotted the game at three with a solo homer to left in the top of the ninth, marking his 10th long ball of the year.

The Riders threatened in the bottom of the ninth against Luke Albright (0-2), but left the bases loaded.

Tyler Owens (1-0) spun a scoreless top of the tenth inning, setting the stage for a Keyber Rodriguez walk-off single that brought Strahm home from third in the home half of the tenth frame.

Offensively, Strahm and Freeman collected multi-hit games. Strahm was involved in all four runs for the Riders, driving in one and scoring three times.

The Wichita Wind Surge took down the Midland RockHounds, helping the RoughRiders to lower the magic number to clinch the 2024 first half Texas League South title. The number currently sits at three, meaning the RoughRiders could potentially clinch a postseason berth as early as Sunday at Riders Field.

The RoughRiders continue a six-game series with the Amarillo Sod Poodles (Arizona Diamondbacks) at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, June 15th. The Riders will turn to RHP Dane Acker (2-2, 3.00) against RHP Billy Corcoran (4-1, 2.59) for the Sod Poodles.

Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Dumb and Dumber at Riders Field on Saturday! A Mutt Cutts Van - similar to the one used in Dumb and Dumber and a moped will be on hand for a great night!

It's also Bark in the Park, so grab an H-E-B Family Lawn ticket and your pup gets in free! Stick around after the game for Kids Run the Bases presented by 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].