Opening night for our Frisco RoughRiders did not disappoint, with a grand slam and a win.
In front of a crowd of over 8,000 on Opening Day, the Frisco RoughRiders thumped the Amarillo Sod Poodles 12-4 on Thursday night from Riders Field. After a back-and-forth affair, a six-run fifth inning separated the Riders for good.
Frisco (1-0) jumped out in front early in the second with four runs. Scott Kapers dribbled an infield RBI single to third for the first tally before a wild pitch brought in Thomas Saggese to make it 2-0. Evan Carter then extended the lead to 4-0 with a two-run triple, which was dropped to a single after he missed second base upon appeal.
In the third, the Sod Poodles (0-1) struck back with a Jordan Lawlar two-run home run off of Frisco starter Jack Leiter to make it 4-2 Frisco.
After a two-run shot from Amarillo’s Adrian Del Castillo in the fourth tied the game at 4-4, the Riders jumped back out in front 6-4 on a Kapers sacrifice fly and a throwing error by the pitcher Bryce Jarvis (0-1), allowing Diosbel Ariasto score.
In the fifth, Frisco poured it on. Trevor Hauver blew the game open with a grand slam to right, the first RoughRiders home run of the season, before Kapers added an RBI triple and Carter plated another run with an RBI single to balloon the lead to 12-4.
Carter, Dustin Harris, Kapers and Kellen Strahm all collected multi-hit nights as the Riders banged out 10 hits. In his start Leiter, allowed four runs on three hits, three walks with five strikeouts. He went 4.1 innings, retiring the first man he saw in the fifth before the bullpen took over for 4.2 scoreless innings.
Grant Anderson (1-0) earned the win for his 2.2 innings, paired with a scoreless frame by AlexSpeas and a scoreless ninth inning for Theo McDowell.
Let’s Ride!!!
