Frisco, TX – The 1st-Half North Division Champion Springfield Cardinals rallied with two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth, but the Frisco RoughRiders hung on for a 9-6 win before 4,425 fans at Dr Pepper Ballpark on Wednesday night.
The RoughRiders (20-32, 58-63) swung in front in the bottom of the first against RHP Matt Pearce (L, 0-2). With one down, LF Eduard Pinto reached on a single, before moving to second one out later on a walk from DH Joe Jackson. 2B Andy Ibanez then dealt the go-ahead blow with an RBI single, bringing in Pinto for the 1-0 Frisco lead.
The Cardinals (24-27, 65-56) battled right back to tie the game in the top of the second against RHP Reed Garrett (W, 3-5). CF Blake Drake led off with an infield single that led to a throwing error on SS Luis Marte, advancing Drake to second on the play. DH Jesse Jenner then ripped an RBI single by 3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa, bringing in Drake to tie the game, 1-1.
The RoughRiders, though, reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the second. Marte led off with a double, before a base hit from RF Alexeis Bell to right field. RF Thomas Spitz fielded the ball in right and came up firing to the plate, but threw the ball wide of home with the throwing error enabling Marte to score the go-ahead run, providing Frisco with a 2-1 lead.
The RoughRiders then blew the game open with a six-run rally in the bottom of the fourth. With one away, Bell launched his first homer in Double-A, a solo shot to left that made it 3-1. A walk by 1B Edwin Garcia then was followed by singles from 3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa and CF Darin Mastroianni to load the bases with one away. Pinto brought everyone home with a three-run double to right-center, opening the advantage to 6-1. C Carson Blair was then hit by a pitch, before a groundout advanced the runners to second and third. Ibanez dealt the final blow of the frame with a two-run single that scored both Pinto and Blair, opening the Frisco lead to 8-1.
The RoughRiders added a final run in the bottom of the fifth. Bell started the stanza with a double, before taking third on a groundout. One out later, Mastroianni cashed in with an RBI single to bring in Bell with two away, stretching the advantage to 9-1.
LHP Chandler Hawkins took over after Mastroianni's single in the fifth and got the Cardinals out of the inning with no further damage. He then tossed a scoreless sixth, before the Cardinals started the comeback in the top of the seventh.
Leading off the seventh against RHP Luke Jackson, C Luis Cruz reached base on an error to start the rally. Cruz moved to second on a wild pitch, before being joined on the bases one out later when Jenner worked a walk. 2B Allen Staton was then hit by a pitch, loading the bases for SS Joey Hawkins. The former Missouri State Bear worked an RBI walk, forcing in Cruz for his first Double-A RBI to make it 9-2. With the bases still loaded and one down, LHP Frank Lopez took over on the mound. Spitz, though, skied an RBI sacrifice fly to right field, enabling Jenner to tag and score, with Spitz's first Double-A RBI bringing the Cardinals within six runs, 9-3.
LHP Chandler Hawkins retired two outs around a double in the seventh, before giving way to RHP Robby Rowland. Rowland quickly retired the inning's final out, keeping the RoughRiders from adding to their lead.
Springfield, on the other hand, kept shaving the deficit down in the top of the eighth. With one away, LF Jonathan Rodriguez sparked the bats with a double. After Cruz singled to put two men on, Drake belted a three-run home run to left-center field, swinging the Cardinals within just three runs of tying the game, 9-6.
Rowland made quick work of the RoughRiders in the bottom of the eighth, tossing a 1-2-3 inning to keep Springfield within striking distance.
However, Frisco LHP Ryne Slack (S, 4) countered with a three-up-three-down top of the ninth, and the RoughRiders hung on for the 9-6 win.
Click here for the complete box score from Wednesday's game.
