Frisco RoughRiders Claim Texas League Championship
The Frisco RoughRiders scored four runs in the top of the 10th inning to beat Wichita 7-5 to claim the Texas League Championship Series on Tuesday night.
The RoughRiders won Game 1 in Frisco 11-3 on Sunday night at Riders Stadium. But the clincher turned out to be much more dramatic.
The Wind Surge took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The RoughRiders rallied to tie the game, but the Wind Surge took the lead in the bottom of the eighth 3-2 before Frisco tied it at 3-3 in the top of the ninth.
In extra innings, Frisco, went to work. Luisangel Acuña started the inning as the ghost runner at second base and scored on a one-out single by Frainyer Chavez. Chavez advanced to second on a Scott Capers walk and later scored on a Jonathan Ornelas single, giving Frisco a 5-3 lead. The last two runs came on a single by Evan Carter, which scored Kapers and Ornelas.
Carter is the Rangers Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America.
The Wind Surge scored two runs in the bottom of the 10th off RoughRiders reliever Nick Starr, as DaShawn Kiersey Jr. hit a two-run home run. But Starr retired three of the next four hitters to clinch the victory and the title.
Frisco, the Texas Rangers Double-A franchise, features some of the top prospects in the Rangers’ organization.
Wichita took a 2-0 lead in the first inning after RoughRiders starter Jack Leiter gave up an RBI double to Edouard Julien and a fielder’s choice groundout to Jair Camargo that scored Julien.
Leiter didn’t get out of the second inning, giving up two hits, four walks and striking out one. Fortunately, the Riders bullpen put out the fire, most notably Triston Polley, who relieved Leiter.
The Riders tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the eighth, as Kellen Strahm’s double scored Acuña. Strahm advanced to third on an error and then scored the tying run on Trevor Hauver’s sacrifice fly.
Wichita grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the eighth after a Keirsey single on a bunt that scored Brooks Lee.
Frisco tied the game in the ninth after Thomas Saggese singled home Ornelas. Acuña left two runners on by striking out to end the top half of the inning.
Ornelas, the Rangers’ No. 22 prospect per MLB.com, had three hits in five at-bats, as did Carter. The pair combined for three RBI.
Several RoughRiders were announced as part of the Arizona Fall League rosters on Friday. So once they’re done with the Texas League postseason, they’ll head to the Rangers’ spring training facility in Surprise, Ariz., to begin play there. Those players include Acuña and Aaron Zavala, along with Hauver, Starr and pitcher Grant Wolfram.
Also on the AFL list are first-round pick and pitcher Kumar Rocker.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
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