Frisco Finds Offense
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MIDLAND, TEXAS – The Frisco RoughRiders won their second game in three days in a 11-6 thrashing of the Midland RockHounds on Tuesday night at Citibank Ballpark. The ‘Riders collected a season-high 20 hits and had at least one hit in eight of the nine innings.
Frisco (15-24, 54-55) scored the game’s first seven runs and got it started in the first half inning. They opened the ballgame with four consecutive singles off Midland’s starter Sean Murphy. In three outings against Frisco, the righthander was 3-0 and had allowed just six total runs against the ‘Riders on the season in 18 innings, but Frisco scored four times in the first on Tuesday. Brett Nicholas and Joe Benson knocked in a run each on singles, and Odubel Herrera brought home two with a two-out single to make it 4-0 RoughRiders before Midland (16-23, 49-60) even came to the plate.
The ‘Riders collected three hits but didn’t score in the third inning and wasted a leadoff triple in the fourth with nothing to show, but still led 4-0 after the game’s first four innings. Joe Benson made it a 5-0 Frisco lead in the fifth with an RBI double. Two more came home in the sixth, including one on
an RBI knock from Hanser Alberto, who was the last RoughRiders hitter to collect a hit; all nine ‘Riders picked up base hits by the end of the sixth inning in the record-setting night.
Nick McBride did his part on Tuesday. With three perfect innings in the first five frames, the Frisco starter faced just one over the minimum heading to the sixth. The ‘Riders defense helped him in the task, turning a 5-4-3 double play on a liner to Guilder Rodriguez in the second inning.
Midland finally got their offense going in the sixth, but it was much too little, too late for the home team. McBride didn’t finish the inning, as the RockHounds plated two runs on four hits against him before Alex Claudio came on and got out of the jam.
Down 7-2, Midland picked up single runs off Claudio in the seventh and eighth as well, but the ‘Riders batted nine men in a four-run eighth inning off reliever Blake Hassebrock.
Entering the ninth, the score was 11-4 Frisco, and although Randy Henry allowed a pair to score in the ninth, the game was never in doubt. Frisco captured the 11-6 victory to even the series.
Nicholas had a four-hit, four-RBI night. Tomas Telis and Herrera both put together three-hit nights as well.
McBride (2-7) picked up his second Texas League win. Murphy (6-5) was beaten by Frisco for the first time this season.
The ‘Riders wrap up their series and road trip on Wednesday against the Midland RockHounds at 6:30 p.m. at Citibank Ballpark. Rangers rehabber Matt Harrison (0-0, -.– ERA) makes his first rehab start, recovering from surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back. The RockHounds will counter with righthander Murphy Smith (8-7, 3.49 ERA). Fans can tune in to the play-by-play broadcast on www.RidersBaseball.com beginning at 6:10.
