Cooper Johnson blasts grand slam, five-run fifth pushes Riders over Hooks

FRISCO, Texas (June 27, 2024) – The Frisco RoughRiders defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks 9-4 on Thursday evening from Riders Field.

Box Score

Tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Cooper Johnson smacked the first grand slam of the season for Frisco (2-1, 46-26) to give the Riders the lead for good.

Corpus Christi (1-2, 27-45) opened the scoring against Frisco starter Nick Krauth (6-3) in the top of the third on a two-run homer by Zach Cole, scoring Miguel Palma.

The RoughRiders responded in the bottom of the fourth frame, using back-to-back doubles by Liam Hicks and Cody Freeman to chop the Corpus Christi lead to 2-1. Freeman later scored on a sacrifice fly by Abimelec Ortiz, tying the game.

Tommy Sacco Jr. gave the Hooks a 3-2 lead with an RBI double that brought home Kenedy Corona in the visiting half of the fifth.

Frisco answered with a run of their own when Hicks brought Kellen Strahm across the plate with a single to tie the game.

Corpus took the lead back on Pascanel Ferraras’ RBI groundout that scored Jordan Brewer, giving the Hooks the upper hand by a 4-3 score in the sixth.

The RoughRiders loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame, tying the game on an RBI single to right field by Geisel Cepeda. Johnson then swatted a grand slam, giving the Riders their first lead of the evening at 8-4.

Reid Birlingmair tossed a 1-2-3 seventh inning with a strikeout before handing the ball to Ricky DeVito worked a pair of scoreless frames with a pair of punchouts.

Frisco added a run of insurance in the bottom of the eighth when Strahm delivered his fourth homer of the season, a solo shot to left center.

Offensively, the RoughRiders notched 12 hits as each of the first three hitters in the lineup logged multi-hit performances. Strahm, Hicks, Josh Hatcher and Keyber Rodriguez each claimed two hits.

The RoughRiders continue a six-game series with the Hooks (Houston Astros) at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, June 28th. RHP Winston Santos (0-0, -.--) will take the mound for the Riders in his Double-A debutagainst RHP Aaron Brown (2-4, 4.80) for the Hooks.

Vamos Quesos! Your Frisco RoughRiders take the field as the Quesos de Frisco presented by Baylor Scott & White Health and Cacique. Experience paletas, aguas frescas and other Latin cuisines from local vendors. Be sure to arrive early to catch a performance from the University of North Texas' Folklorixo student organization and grab a Quesos de Frisco t-shirt giveaway presented by Cacique on your way through the gates. Make sure to stick around after the game for postgame fireworks.

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].