Naturals win high-scoring affair
FRISCO, Texas (September 7, 2023) – The Northwest Arkansas Naturals' four-run first inning provided the difference on Thursday, capturing a 10-7 win over the Frisco RoughRiders at Riders Field. Box Score Keyber Rodriguez launched a three-run home run and doubled to keep the RoughRiders (30-30, 61-67) close, Jax Biggers added
FRISCO, Texas (September 7, 2023) – The Northwest Arkansas Naturals' four-run first inning provided the difference on Thursday, capturing a 10-7 win over the Frisco RoughRiders at Riders Field.
Keyber Rodriguez launched a three-run home run and doubled to keep the RoughRiders (30-30, 61-67) close, Jax Biggers added a solo blast and Kellen Strahm chipped in a triple and a double, but Frisco could not overcome the early margin. Northwest Arkansas (29-30, 58-70) planted six runs on the board over the first two innings and never relinquished the lead.
Seth Nordlin (2-6) took the loss with seven earned runs over four innings.
Strahm helped get the Riders on the board by tripling to lead off the second inning. He scored on Chris Seise's RBI infield single.
Frisco trailed 8-1 in the fourth but rebounded with a three-run home run by Rodriguez. He culminated a two-out rally that started with David Garcia and Josh Hatcher's walks. Hatcher then recorded a two-RBI single the next inning, bouncing a ball off of the second-base bag to bring in Strahm and Seise.
Biggers' solo blast to right field in the seventh inning was his 12th homer of the year. Biggers has hit 12 of his 20 career home runs in 2023, his fifth professional baseball season.
Emilio Marquez (1-0) garnered the win with two unearned runs over one inning. Anderson Paulino took the save by going 1-2-3 in the ninth.
Frisco's bullpen covered five innings with one earned run, highlighted by Robby Ahlstrom's two perfect innings. He struck out three, and Danny Duffy tossed a clean ninth inning with one punch out.
The fourth game of the six-game series will begin at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8th at Riders Field. RHP Ryan Garcia (3-9, 7.11 ERA) will be Frisco’s starting pitcher while RHP Chandler Champlain (4-5, 3.92) gets the nod for Northwest Arkansas.
The Riders will host the first drone show in team history after the game to close out Dallas Stars Night. The Riders will don Dallas Stars-inspired jerseys as Victor E. Green and the Dallas Stars Ice Girls join the fun in the ballpark. Get your tickets now at RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.
About the RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the 2022 Texas League champions. In 2023, the team is celebrating its 20th anniversary and has consistently finished in the top five among all Double-A franchises in attendance yearly. 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, Bullpen Bar, 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 190 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball including current Rangers Josh Jung, Grant Anderson and Martin Perez. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact [email protected].