The Frisco RoughRiders opened their season yesterday for the first time since 2019.
Tim Brennan started for the RoughRiders and was great, using just 60 pitches in his 4.1 innings. Sal Mendez (1-0) got the win in relief of Brennan, allowing a pair of runs himself, but not surrendering a hit in his 1.2 innings. From there, Scott Engler and Cole Uvila combined to throw the last three scoreless frames, with Uvila earning his first save of the season.
On offense, the Riders started early. With a pair on in the first inning, Sherten Apostel crushed a two-run double off of the wall in right, giving the RoughRiders a 2-0 advantage. The next batter, Diosbel Arias, then plated Apostel on an infield single to the pitcher plus a throwing error tacked on, allowing the Riders first baseman to score.
Bubba Thompson and Matt Whatley both had multi-hit nights, and Thompson tripled for one of those hits.
In the seventh inning, the RockHounds scored a couple of runs. But a great play by Jax Biggars and a great dig by Apostel got the Riders out of the inning with the lead.
Frisco extended that two-run lead in the bottom of the seventh, though, when Julio Pablo Martinez was hit by a pitch to get aboard. He then proceeded to steal second and third before coming into score on a wild pitch, giving the Riders a 5-2 advantage.
That score held as Uvila worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save. All in all it was a great opening day game for Frisco. They are back at it Wednesday night at 7:05
