Naturals come back in ninth to win
FRISCO, Texas (September 8, 2023) – Jack Leiter tossed five innings with two hits and two runs and Wyatt Langford recorded a double, a single and a walk, but the Frisco RoughRiders let a ninth-inning lead slip away in Northwest Arkansas' 7-4 win on Saturday from Riders Field. Box Score
FRISCO, Texas (September 8, 2023) – Jack Leiter tossed five innings with two hits and two runs and Wyatt Langford recorded a double, a single and a walk, but the Frisco RoughRiders let a ninth-inning lead slip away in Northwest Arkansas' 7-4 win on Saturday from Riders Field.
Frisco (30-32, 61-69) led 4-3 in the ninth inning but gave up four runs in the final frame. With the loss and an Amarillo win, the RoughRiders were eliminated from 2023 playoff contention. Northwest Arkansas (31-30, 60-70) clinched the series, claiming victory in four of five games so far this week.
In his 18th start of the season, Leiter struck out five batters in his five innings. He gave up a two-run home run in the first inning and allowed just one hit after. Leiter threw 75 pitches, 49 for strikes.
Langford went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI double on Saturday. In his first week of Double-A baseball, the 21-year-old has four hits with two doubles and five walks in five games.
Langford recorded Frisco's first hit of the day in the third inning when he laced a double to right center field for an RBI. David Garcia had walked earlier in the inning and scored to shorten the Naturals' lead to 2-1.
Langford helped spark a go-ahead rally in the fifth inning with a single. He followed a leadoff walk by Keyber Rodriguez, who scored on an error to tie the game. Kellen Strahm bunted for a single to load the bases and Aaron Zavala produced the go-ahead run on a sac fly. Chris Seise extended the advantage to 4-2 with a base hit up the middle to score Hicks.
Aidan Anderson kept the Naturals off the scoreboard in the eighth inning but Northwest Arkansas scored one run in the seventh inning to make it a 4-3 Riders lead. Danny Duffy got out of a jam with the bases loaded and no outs, allowing just one score and pitching a scoreless eighth inning.
Andy Rodriguez (0-1) came in to pitch for Frisco in the ninth inning and allowed four runs to take the loss.
Anthony Simonelli (1-0) was the winning pitcher with his scoreless frame in the eighth. Anderson Paulino took the save with a clean ninth inning.
The final home game of the regular season is on Sunday, Sept. 10th at 7:05 p.m. RHP Nick Krauth (4-10, 5.80 ERA) gets the ball for Frisco, while the Naturals turn to LHP Noah Cameron (3-9, 5.97 ERA).
With Fan Appreciation Day, Sunday will include giveaways, a look back at the season, and more. Also, enjoy kid-centered themes for Kids Sunday Funday, presented by Raising Cane’s. 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].