Four-run ninth pushes Cardinals over RoughRiders, 7-6

FRISCO, Texas (August 14, 2024) – The Frisco RoughRiders were defeated by the Springfield Cardinals 7-6 on Wednesday evening from Riders Field.

Box Score

Springfield (25-16, 62-48) started the scoring for the second straight night against Frisco (23-18, 67-43) starter Dane Acker when Jimmy Crooks led off the top of the fourth inning with a solo homer.

The St. Louis Cardinals No. 2 prospect Tink Hence delivered 4.0 scoreless, one-hit innings with six punchouts.

In the top of the fifth, Dakota Harris doubled to open the frame and later scored on an RBI triple by Chris Rotondo. Bryan Torres extended the lead to 3-0 by singling to right.

Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Frisco sent 10 batters to the plate and manufactured five runs to take the lead. The inning was highlighted by two run scoring wild pitches and RBI singles from Cody Freeman, Josh Hatcher and Maximo Acosta.

Acker appeared in the top of the seventh, marking the first time he has pitched into the seventh frame in his career. He picked up a strikeout before exiting the game with a final line of 6.1 innings, allowing three runs on 11 hits and no walks with six strikeouts.

The Riders tacked on an insurance run on the home half of the eighth inning where Aaron Zavala doubled home Hatcher to make it a 6-3 advantage for Frisco.

Skylar Hales worked 1.2 innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball to preserve the 6-3 lead to the top of the ninth.

Springfield opened the ninth with three consecutive hits against Andy Rodriguez (2-2) followed by a sacrifice fly and an error that brought the Cardinals back within a run. Crooks tied the game with a sacrifice fly before R.J. Yeager delivered the go-ahead run on an RBI single.

Offensively, the Riders were outhit 16 to seven as the offense saw two multi-hit games coming from Alejandro Osuna and Hatcher.

The RoughRiders continue a six-game set against the Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals) at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday, August 15th. The Riders will turn to RHP Kumar Rocker (0-0, 0.00) against RHP Max Rajcic (9-9, 4.61) for the Cardinals.

Start the weekend early at Riders Field! Enjoy Thirsty Thursday with half-priced Coors Light, Shiner Light Blonde, Truly and Big Stick Blonde through the 7th inning. Prefer to catch the game from the Lazy River? Purchase a Twisted Tea Rowdy @ The River ticket (21+ only) and grab $2 Twisted Tea, Truly and Miller Lite cans until 8:00 p.m. in the Lazy River.

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].