CORPUS CHRISTI - Destin Hood belted a three-run home run in the sixth inning Monday night, sending the RoughRiders to a 5-3 victory over the Hooks before 5,308 fans at Whataburger Field.Frisco (15-9, 39-55) has won the first two games in the series, saddling Corpus Christi (17-7, 60-33) with back-to-back
CORPUS CHRISTI - Destin Hood belted a three-run home run in the sixth inning Monday night, sending the RoughRiders to a 5-3 victory over the Hooks before 5,308 fans at Whataburger Field.
Frisco (15-9, 39-55) has won the first two games in the series, saddling Corpus Christi (17-7, 60-33) with back-to-back home losses for the first time since May 24-25.
Riders right-hander Justin Topa turned in a 116-pitch performance to earn his first Double-A win. Topa allowed the first three Hooks to reach Monday night, resulting in two runs which came home on wild pitches. The 27-year-old, who has toiled the last two seasons in the independent Canadian-American Association, slammed the door over the next six frames.
Topa was supported early on by a pair of double plays, including a 1-2-3 number in the third which helped him escape a bases-loaded jam. The game-changing chopper started a stretch in which Topa retired 10 in a row.
Meanwhile, Akeem Bostick scattered two runs over the first five innings. With one away in the sixth, Michael O'Neil worked a walk and Carlos Garay sent a single into left field, setting the stage for Hood's game-winning home run.
Corpus Christi's third run came in the eighth when Benedetti worked a bases-loaded free pass from Topa, making it a two-run affair.
Cole Wiper entered the game and induced a pop-up to end the threat. Wiper worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his first Double-A save.
Jorge Alcala (2-2, 3.09) takes the ball Tuesday as the Hooks attempt to stop this two-game slide. Frisco counters with Ariel Jurado (4-3, 3.45). First pitch 7:05.
