Riders win wild regular-season finale
SPRINGDALE, Arkansas (September 18, 2022) – The Frisco RoughRiders staved off a late comeback attempt from the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in the regular-season finale on Sunday from Arvest Ballpark in a 10-9, 10-inning win. After the Naturals scored three runs in the ninth to tie the game, a three-run 10th
SPRINGDALE, Arkansas (September 18, 2022) – The Frisco RoughRiders staved off a late comeback attempt from the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in the regular-season finale on Sunday from Arvest Ballpark in a 10-9, 10-inning win. After the Naturals scored three runs in the ninth to tie the game, a three-run 10th pushed the Riders to victory.
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 (38-30, 74-63) jumped on the board first in the first inning when Thomas Saggese crushed a grand slam for his first career Double-A home run, putting the Riders up 4-0.
The Riders added on in the top of the second with an RBI double from Evan Carter, his third double in his first six games in Frisco.
Northwest Arkansas (27-42, 58-79) then found their first run on a C.J. Alexander sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third, cutting into the lead at 5-1, before scoring three more runs in the sixth to push the game to 5-4.
Saggese answered by ripping an RBI double in the seventh and Carter tacked on another run of insurance in the ninth with a solo blast, his first career Double-A home run, making it a 7-4 Frisco lead.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Seuly Matias clobbered a two-run home run and Jake Means tied the game with an RBI double off of Kevin Gowdy (2-3) to send the game to extra innings.
Frisco then retook the lead with a big top of the 10th, starting with a Trevor Hauver RBI single. David Garcia then singled in a run and Jonathan Ornelas ripped an RBI knock of his own to increase the advantage to 10-7.
Ornelas finished 2-for-5, tying Joaquin Arias’ franchise record of 157 hits in a single season, set back in 2005.
In the bottom of the 10th, Triston Polley earned the save despite allowing a pair of runs to the Naturals.
Emilio Marquez (1-1) was handed the loss for the Naturals, allowing four runs, two earned, over his two innings.
The RoughRiders returned home on Tuesday, September 20th at 6:35 p.m. to take on the San Antonio Missions in the first game of the Division Championship Series. Neither team has announced a starter for the game.
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].