Jurado sparkles in Independence Day victory over Cards

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (July 4, 2018) - Starter Ariel Jurado produced one of this best starts of the season to guide the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, to a 5-2 win over the Springfield Cardinals Wednesday at Hammons Field.
BIG MOMENTS
* Jurado worked eight innings, allowing two runs on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts. At one point, he retired 16 Cardinals hitters in a row.
* The Riders plated three runs in the third, capped by a two-run homer from Eliezer Álvarez .
* Luis Mendez had a pair of RBIs in Wednesday's victory and was one of seven Riders hitters with two hits.
KEY RIDERS PERFORMERS
* Ariel Jurado: 8 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
* Luis Mendez: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R
* Luis Yander La O: 2-for-2, 2B, 2 BB, 2 R
* Preston Beck: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI

NEWS AND NOTES
* The Riders have won seven of their last eight games and have scored at least five runs in all eight contests.
* Frisco improved to 11-5 all-time on the Fourth of July.
* Jurado has worked more than seven innings on four occasions this season after never having surpassed seven innings in his career prior to this year.
WHAT'S NEXT
Riders at Springfield, Thursday, 7:10 p.m.
Probables: RHP Tyler Davis (0-6, 6.53) vs. RHP Anthony Shew (4-3, 5.10)
Video: MiLB.tv
Audio: RidersBaseball.com, TuneIn Radio, First Pitch App
About the RoughRiders 
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and play their games at beautiful Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas. The team was founded in 2003 and has finished first among all Double-A franchises in attendance in each of the last 13 seasons (2005-2017). 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, InTouch Grille, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world's largest water feature in a sports facility, the massive Choctaw 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 140 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball, including All-Stars Chris Davis , Adrián González , Ian Kinsler and Neftalí Feliz , as well as current Rangers stars Elvis Andrus , Rougned Odor and Nomar Mazara . For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders and Dr Pepper Ballpark, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact Ryan Rouillard at [email protected].