RoughRiders Game Notes
Published on April 8, 2023 under Texas League (TL)
Frisco RoughRiders News Release
The Frisco RoughRiders suffered their first loss of the season on Friday in a closely contested affair, 3-1 to the Amarillo Sod Poodles at Riders Field. Dustin Harris got the scoring started for Frisco (1-1) when he tripled to lead off the second inning and came home on Thomas Sag- gese's RBI groundout. Frisco did not score a run the rest of the ballgame, however. Amarillo (1-1) scored in only the fifth inning but the three runs were all the Sod Poodles needed, highlighted by Ryan Bliss' two-run triple to take the lead. Owen White was effective in his first start of 2023 for the RoughRiders, tossing three scoreless innings with only one hit. He threw 48 pitches, 31 for strikes. The second-round pick from 2018 was making his first start since July 13, 2023 and his fifth career start in a RoughRiders uniform. Nick Krauth (0-1) took the loss for Frisco, going four innings and allowing three runs, followed by two effective innings from John Matthews. The Kent State product completed the eighth and ninth innings without a run allowed. Amarillo righty Luke Albright (1-0) garnered the win with five innings in his start and Kyle Backhus recorded the save. Jax Biggers, celebrating his 26th birthday on Friday, was the only player besides Harris to reach base twice in the game. Biggers walked in the fifth and seventh innings.
EVAN ALMIGHTY:
Through two games, Evan Carter has .333 (3-for-9) with three RBIs and a stolen base. The No. 3 prospect in the Rangers system - who won a MiLB Rawlings Gold Glove in 2022, played right field last night and centerfield in the opener.
THREE IS A MAGIC NUMBER:
So far through two games, the RoughRiders have hit two triples: one from Dustin Harris and one from Scott Kapers. Additionally, Evan Carter had a two-run triple that turned into a two-run single after it was ruled that he missed second base on his way to third on Opening Day and Luisangel Acuña was thrown out last night trying to stretch a double into a triple. The RoughRiders are one of three non-Triple-A teams (which started their season last week) with two triples so far through two games, joining Hickory (High-A, Rangers) and West Michigan (High-A, Tigers).
A GRAND BEGINNING:
The RoughRiders saw history on Opening Day against the Sod Poodles. Trevor Hauver became the first RoughRiders player in franchise history to hit a grand slam on Opening Day. It was not the first home run that Hauver had hit on Opening Day, though. To begin 2021 with the Tampa Tarpons in the Yankees system, Hauver homered twice on Opening Day and then homered in the next four games consecutively. Through the first five games of the 2021 season, Hauver hit .556 (10-for-18)/.654/1.611/2.265 with a double, six home runs, 13 RBIs and 7 walks.
VERSUS THE SODDIES:
Since the Sod Poodles joined the Texas League in 2019, Frisco and Amarillo have played each other very closely. The Riders have the slim all- time advantage over the Soddies, going 40-37 against them and are 19-15 at Riders Field head-to-head. Last season, the RoughRiders swung the bat extremely well against the Diamondback affiliate, not only at the hitter-friendly confines of HODGETOWN, but at Riders Field as well.
In their 18 games, the Riders went 11-7 against Amarillo, hitting .317/.396/.617/1.013 with 47 home runs (2.6 per game) and 152 runs (8.4 per game). Blaine Crim hit .444/.471/.905/1.376 with nine home runs and 20 RBIs in 15 games against the Sod Poodles while Justin Foscue added eight home runs of his own while slashing .338/.411/.769/1.180.
MEET THE NEW SKIPPER:
A new year welcomes a new face at the helm of the RoughRiders. Carlos Cardoza gets the bump up from High-A Hickory in 2023 and he brings a history of winning with him. The Puerto Rico native piloted the Crawdads to a 66-65 record last season and has amassed a 312-207 (.601) total over his six seasons as a skipper. With Down East, he took the Wood Ducks to the Low-A East Championship Series before falling to Charleston. Prior to his time in Down East, he managed the Arizona League Rangers (2019), winning the AZL Championship, and Dominican Summer League Rangers (2016-2019), twice reaching the championship series. Hired on by the Rangers in 2015, Cardoza was the head coach at his alma mater, Decatur High School, in Georgia for two years. As a player, Cardoza spent two seasons at Georgia State University and two years at Armstrong Atlantic State, where he was a gold glove second baseman and All-Peach Belt Conference selection.
LOOK AT ALL THAT TALENT:
This year's squad features nine of the top 30 prospects in the Rangers organization. Texas' No. 2 overall prospect Evan Carter highlights the bunch that includes four of the top five prospects in Carter, No. 3 RHP Owen White, No. 4 INF Luisangel Acuña and No. 5 RHP Jack Leiter.
Outside of the top five, OF Dustin Harris slots in at No. 8 in his return to Frisco from last season after missing the last month with a wrist injury.
The last four prospects are No. 12 RHP Tekoah Roby, No. 16 INF Thomas Saggese, No. 20 RHP Marc Church and No. 24 LHP Antoine Kelly. Out of the nine, eight are returning players with Roby being the only newcomer to the Frisco roster.
LOTS OF FAMILIAR FACES:
Toward the end of the 2022 season, the Rangers moved a lot of players up to Frisco which has led to 21 returning players on the RoughRiders Opening Day roster for the 2023 season. On the starting staff, Jack Leiter and Owen White return along with Antoine Kelly. In the bullpen, Nick Starr, Grant Wolfram and Justin Slaten are the only three that were on the 2022 Opening Day roster as well while Marc Church, John Matthews and Triston Polley all joined later in the year. Both Scott Kapers and David Garcia were pivotal in the Riders championship run at catcher. Five of the seven infielders (Jax Biggers, Luisangel Acuña, Frainyer Chavez, Thomas Saggese and Josh Sale) are back and all four listed outfielders (Dustin Harris, Kellen Strahm, Evan Carter and Trevor Hauver). Alex Speas is the only returner who didn't play in 2022 as he was a RoughRiders pitcher in 2021. Out of the 21 returning players, 15 were active when the RoughRiders won the Texas League Champion- ship last year.
Texas League Stories from April 8, 2023
- Doubleheader Sweep Gives Travs Unbeaten Start - Arkansas Travelers
- Arkansas Rolls for Doubleheader Sweep - Corpus Christi Hooks
- RoughRiders Fall Short in Series Finale - Frisco RoughRiders
- Hill, Roberts Help Secure Series Win in Frisco - Amarillo Sod Poodles
- Drillers' Big Inning Fuels 5-2 Victory - Tulsa Drillers
- Snider Deals in Double-A Debut, Missions Drop Finale in Tulsa - San Antonio Missions
- Snider Deals in Double-A Debut, Missions Drop Finale in Tulsa - San Antonio Missions
- Cards Take Series Finale - Wichita Wind Surge
- RoughRiders Game Notes - Frisco RoughRiders
- Cardinals Held to 1 Hit, Fall to Surge 2-0 - Springfield Cardinals
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