Frisco, TX – The Frisco RoughRiders battled out of deficits in the bottom of the ninth and the bottom of the 10th to take the 7-6 walk-off win in 10 innings against the Springfield Cardinals before 7,483 fans at Dr Pepper Ballpark on Sunday night.
The RoughRiders (23-26, 52-67) opened the early advantage in the bottom of the first against LHP Jimmy Reed. With one away, 3B Ryan Cordell and CF Lewis Brinson collected consecutive singles to set the table. After a line out, DH Alex Burg came through with a two-run double to left field, bringing in both runners for the early 2-0 lead for Frisco.
The Cardinals (25-25, 55-65) chipped the deficit in half right away, striking for one run in the top of the second against LHP Victor Payano. A C Michael Ohlman walk started the inning, followed by a single from 2B Bruce Caldwell to put two men on. One out later, RF David Washington ripped an RBI single through the right side, bringing in Ohlman from second base to bring the Cardinals within one run, 2-1.
Reed kept the Cardinals within one run with perfect innings in the second and third, before Springfield swung in front in the top of the fourth. Washington started the stanza with his second single, followed by a CF Charlie Tilson base hit one out later. With two on and one away, SS Aledmys Diaz launched his first pitch far beyond the left field wall, striking with a three-run home run to lift the Cardinals into the 4-2 lead.
Reed continued to deal, retiring 15 straight batters from the final out in the first through the second out in the sixth. A double in the sixth snapped his streak, but Reed rebounded with a quick strikeout to close another scoreless inning, keeping it a 4-2 lead for Springfield.
The Cardinals then added some padding to the lead in the top of the seventh against rehabbing Texas Rangers RHP Tanner Scheppers. Diaz started the inning with a single to reach base once again. RF Anthony Garcia then sliced a single to right field, drawing an errant throw from RF Prest Beck that sailed into the stands past third base, enabling Diaz to score on the error and make it a 5-2 Springfield advantage.
Reed followed with a scoreless seventh before retiring the first two outs in the eighth, giving way to RHP Kurt Heyer with one man on. Heyer got the Cardinals out of the eighth unscathed, but the RoughRiders rallied in the bottom of the ninth.
RHP Ronnie Shaban started the bottom of the ninth with a strikeout, but C Kellin Deglan sparked the Riders bats with a double to right field. Following a 1B Trever Adams single, SS Luis Mendez pulled an RBI double to right field to score Deglan and bring Frisco within two runs. LF Zach Cone then provided the game-tying, two-run single inside the left field line to even the score. RHP Robby Rowland (L, 0-1) took over on the mound and avoided any further damage, sending the game into extra innings in a 5-5 tie.
Springfield got right back in front, scoring one in the top of the 10th against RHP Jesus Pirela (W, 1-3). Ohlman worked another leadoff walk to start the frame. He then advanced around the bases on a series of three wild pitches by Pirela throughout the inning, lifting the Cardinals back into the lead, 6-5.
With Rowland back on the mound to try to close it in the bottom of the 10th, CF Lewis Brinson began the frame by reaching on a contested catcher’s interference call against Ohlman. After the umpires met and decided to uphold the call, Brinson was awarded first base to start the stanza. Rowland battled back with a groundout and a strikeout, bringing the RoughRiders down to their final out with Brinson on at second. After Brinson advanced to third on a wild pitch, Deglan lined an RBI single to right-center to tie the game once again. RHP Chris Perry entered to face Adams and try to get the game to the 11th, but Adams won the battle with a game-winning RBI double to left-center, scoring Deglan from first and propelling the RoughRiders to the 7-6 walk-off win in the bottom of the 10th inning.
