Riders clinch first playoff berth since 2014 with win
SPRINGDALE, Arkansas (September 16, 2022) – The Frisco RoughRiders clinched the Texas League South Division Second Half Championship on Friday night with an 11-6 victory over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals from Arvest Ballpark. The Riders will take on the San Antonio Missions for the first game of the Division Championship
SPRINGDALE, Arkansas (September 16, 2022) – The Frisco RoughRiders clinched the Texas League South Division Second Half Championship on Friday night with an 11-6 victory over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals from Arvest Ballpark. The Riders will take on the San Antonio Missions for the first game of the Division Championship Series on Tuesday, September 20th at 6:35 p.m.
Frisco (37-29, 73-62) banged out 13 hits, including seven extra-base hits, in the victory and five players recorded multi-hit games.
The Riders struck first in the top of the first inning when Justin Foscue doubled home Evan Carter to make it 1-0.
Northwest Arkansas (26-41, 57-78) then answered in the bottom of the first with a Tyler Gentry RBI double to even the score at 1-1.
In the top of the second inning, the Riders blew it open with a five-run frame. Kellen Strahm began the scoring with a two-run home run before Carter added an RBI single and Foscue clobbered a two-run shot to push the lead to 6-1. It was Strahm's 10th home run and Foscue's 15th of the season.
John Rave smacked a two-run shot in the fifth for the Naturals to cut the lead to 6-3, but Frisco volleyed back with five more runs in the top of the sixth to put the game away.
Jonathan Ornelas put Frisco up 8-3 with a two-run single in the sixth and Carter added another run with an RBI double. Following a Foscue sacrifice fly, Thomas Saggese singled in the Riders' 11th run on the night.
Northwest Arkansas put up two in the seventh on a Seuly Matias two-run single and added another harmless run in the ninth when Gavin Stupienski singled in a tally, but the Riders held on to win 11-6.
Foscue led the Riders with four RBIs on the night while Carter collected three hits on the offensive side.
Kevin Gowdy (1-3) earned the win, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings while Alec Marsh (1-15) took the loss for Northwest Arkansas in his start, ceding six runs over four innings.
The RoughRiders and Naturals meet for game five of the series on Saturday, September 17th at 6:05 p.m. RHP Ricky Vanasco (0-0, 8.10) starts for the Riders against RHP Anthony Veneziano (5-9, 5.74) for Northwest Arkansas.
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. The team was founded in 2003 and has finished first among all Double-A franchises in attendance for 15 consecutive seasons (2005-2019). 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 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 170 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact [email protected].