RoughRiders Split Another Doubleheader
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CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Frisco RoughRiders came within four outs of sweeping the doubleheader against the Corpus Christi Hooks on Friday night at Whataburger field. They won the first 11-5 and were defeated 3-2 in game two in come-from-behind fashion with their only error of the day costing them.
Game one, despite the final score, was a back-and-forth affair. Rene Garcia clubbed a two-run homer, his fifth and third against the ‘Riders, in the top half of the first inning against Frisco starter Neil Ramirez to open the scoring.
It was one of five home runs hit in the contest. Home runs accounted for ten of the sixteen runs scored by the two teams, but Frisco (12-16, 51-47) manufactured their first run. Hanser Alberto drove in his first run of the night on a fielder’s choice in the second to cut the lead to 2-1. The ‘Riders then tied it in fourth, when the Frisco shortstop drove home his second run, this time on a RBI single.
After the home run allowed in the first, Ramirez settled in for the RoughRiders, setting down six in-a-row at one point and eight in a stretch of nine batters faced. With one out in the home half of the fourth, however, things unraveled for him. Max Stassi launched a solo home run off the right-hander, the first of five straight Hooks batters to reach on hits, chasing Ramirez from the ballgame. Tyler Tufts got out of the jam after that, but three had scored in the inning, and the Hooks (14-13, 56-41) led 5-2 after four innings. Ramirez finished with 3.1 innings pitched, allowing five runs, all earned, on seven hits, two walks, and
a hit batter-he also struck out four.
The ‘Riders offense exploded against Corpus Christi starter Michael Foltynewicz and the Hooks’ bullpen in the fifth, plating four runs. The big hit came after Guilder Rodriguez reached on an error and Foltynewicz then hit Teodoro Martinez. That set the table for Ryan Strausborger who hit his second home run against the Hooks this month, this time a three-run blast, which tied knotted the score.
That was it for the starter, and on came Kenny Long. Two batters into his outing, Alex Buchholz took him deep, a solo home run to put the ‘Riders ahead 6-5. It was a lead they would not relinquish.
Frisco plated five insurance runs in the seventh, the final frame. Tomas Telis drove in a pair, and Alberto knocked in three more with a three-run home run, his first home run in over a month. Randy Henry worked a perfect ninth to finish off the 11-5 victory.
Tufts (3-2) earned the victory, while Long (0-2) was saddled with the defeat.
Game two featured a tremendous pitchers’ duel between Carlos Pimentel and David Martinez. Facing Martinez for the seventh time the season, more than any other starter in the Texas League, Frisco had difficulty taking advantage of a multitude of opportunities and it cost them.
Both of the ‘Riders runs came on sacrifice flies. Frisco got the leadoff man board in the first and the second but couldn’t score until the third. Back-to-back singles put men at the corners, and Brett Nicholas was able to knock home Martinez on a fly ball to right field. It was Alberto coming through again in the fourth, driving in his sixth run of the doubleheader on a sacrifice fly to right field, to extend the lead to 2-0.
It looked as if those two runs would be enough for the ‘Riders. Pimentel was brilliant. He tossed five shutout innings and scattered three hits and a walk to go along with three strikeouts to take the lead into the sixth.
Alex Claudio came on and struck out the first batter he faced to begin the sixth. Drew Muren then reached on a throwing error by Strausborger, who was playing second base for the first time this season. It was his first error of the year, and it proved to be a very costly miscue, allowing three unearned runs to score in the inning. After Claudio induced a groundout for the second out, the next three men reached. Domingo Santana provided the big blow with a two-run, go-ahead double to give the Hooks a 3-2 lead, which held up as the final score.
Martinez (11-2) finished up his night, completing the game for the win. He allowed two runs on eight hits, did not walk a batter, and struck out five. Claudio (0-1) took the loss, his first Double-A decision, allowing the three unearned runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout.
The RoughRiders and Hooks continue with game three of the four-game set at 7:05 p.m. from Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi on Saturday night. Nick McBride (1-5, 5.44 ERA) gets the nod for Frisco facing against the Hooks’ right-hander Nick Tropeano (3-7, 4.25 ERA). Fans can tune in to the play-by-play broadcast on www.RidersBaseball.com beginning at 6:40.
The ‘Riders return home on Monday, July 22 at 7:05 p.m. to host the Midland RockHounds for three games in the shortest home stand of the season at Dr Pepper Ballpark. For information on tickets to see the RoughRiders in 2013, please call (972) 731-9200, email info@ridersbaseball.com or visit www.ridersbaseball.com.
