RockHounds end Riders 2024 campaign with 5-2 win
FRISCO, Texas (September 20, 2024) – The Frisco RoughRiders were defeated by the Midland RockHounds 5-2 on Friday evening from Riders Field. Box Score Frisco (84-54) and Midland (84-54) went scoreless into home half of the second where Abimelec Ortiz belted a 432-foot homer against Jake Walkinshaw (1-0) to give
FRISCO, Texas (September 20, 2024) – The Frisco RoughRiders were defeated by the Midland RockHounds 5-2 on Friday evening from Riders Field.
Frisco (84-54) and Midland (84-54) went scoreless into home half of the second where Abimelec Ortiz belted a 432-foot homer against Jake Walkinshaw (1-0) to give the Riders a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth, Jordan Groshans delivered a leadoff double against Mitch Bratt (0-1). The lefty picked up the first out of the inning on an RBI groundout by Jeisson Rosario before exiting for Josh Sborz. The big league rehabber surrendered an RBI single to Euribiel Angeles that gave the RockHounds a 2-1 advantage.
Bratt finished after 3.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while fanning six.
After Sborz picked up a pair of outs, Emiliano Teodo entered for the Riders. He allowed an infield single in the fifth before striking out the next three batters. The right-hander finished after 1.2 one-run frames while striking out four and walking two.
Teodo exited with runners at the corners and two outs in the top of the sixth. Jackson Kelley entered with two outs and runners at the corners in the visiting half of the sixth, walking the first batter he faced to load the bases before issuing a walk to Denzel Clarke that pushed the Midland lead to 3-1.
Josh Hatcher demolished a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
In the top of the ninth inning, Skyler Hales entered with two outs and a runner at second. Will Simpson delivered an RBI single, finalizing Ryan Lobus’ line after 2.2 innings in which he surrendered one unearned run on two hits. Groshans drove in Simpson with a single to right that pushed the RockHounds lead to 5-2.
Trailing by three in the bottom of ninth, the Riders went down in order against Colin Peluse as the righty secured Midland’s spot in the Texas League Championship Series.
Offensively, the Riders collected seven hits. Ortiz and Hatcher each logged multi-hit nights with a homer in the loss.
For 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 210 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]**.