Crim homers again in back-and-forth Riders win

AMARILLO, Texas (September 3, 2022) – The Frisco RoughRiders topped the Amarillo Sod Poodles 8-7 in a thrilling, back-and-forth game on Saturday night from HODGETOWN. In the win, Blaine Crim homered for the fourth-straight game while hitting his fifth home run of the series.

Box score

The Riders (31-24, 67-57) drew first blood in the first inning when Crim lifted his 21st home run of the season out to left-center field. The two-run shot scored Justin Foscue to make it 2-0.

That lead held until the top of the fourth inning when Frisco added on with an RBI single from David Garcia, pushing the advantage to 3-0.

Amarillo (28-27, 60-64) answered back in the bottom of the fourth inning when Tristin English doubled in two runs down the left-field line, pulling the Sod Poodles to a 3-2 deficit.

In the bottom of the seventh, Nick Dalesandro gave Amarillo a 4-3 lead with a go-ahead two-run home run off of Triston Polley (4-1), but that score did not last long.

Frisco exploded in the top of the eighth for five runs to nab the lead right back. Crim tied the game with an RBI single to right before Garcia was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run. Frainyer Chavez then singled up the middle to drive in a pair of tallies and Miguel Aparicio reached on an error which allowed Garcia to score, lengthening the advantage to 8-4.

That final unearned run proved costly for Amarillo as Ti’Quan Forbes blasted a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to make it a one-run game, but Nick Starr entered in the ninth and worked a 1-2-3 inning for his fifth save of the year. He recorded the final out when centerfielder Kellen Strahm made a diving catch in right-center field.

Kyle Backhus (0-2) was saddled with the loss for the Sod Poodles, allowing all five runs, four earned, in the eighth.

Along with the RoughRiders won, a Midland loss increased the Frisco lead at the top of the Texas League South Division in the second half to two games with 13 games remaining.

The RoughRiders and Sod Poodles finish the six-game series on Sunday, September 4th at 1:05 p.m. from HODGETOWN. LHP Antoine Kelly (0-0, 4.05) gets the start for Frisco against LHP Blake Walston (6-3, 5.48).

Frisco returns home to begin their final home stand of the regular season on Tuesday, September 6th with an 11:05 a.m. start on an Olsson Education Day at Riders Field.

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].