Riders surge in ninth to take second-half opener

MIDLAND, Texas (June 19, 2018) - The Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, staged a ninth-inning rally to come from behind and knock off the Midland RockHounds 4-3 in the second-half opener Tuesday at Security Bank Ballpark.
BIG MOMENTS
* Trailing 3-2 after eight, the Riders plated two runs in the ninth with Destin Hood scoring the tying run on a wild pitch and Luis Mendez racing in from third with the go-ahead run later in the inning, beating a throw from first on a fielder's choice.
* Midland had broken a 2-2 tie with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the eighth before the late heroics.
* Making his Double-A debut and first appearance in the Rangers organization, starter Justin Topa went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits, while walking two and striking out seven in the no-decision.
KEY RIDERS PERFORMERS
* Justin Topa: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Michael De Leon: 3-for-5, 2B
Destin Hood: 3-for-4, RBI, R
Michael O'Neill: 0-for-4, BB, 2 RBI
NEWS AND NOTES
The Riders won for the first time this season when trailing after eight innings. They had started the year 0-41 in such situations.
* Michael De Leon collected his fifth three-hit game of the season and Hood had his first.
WHAT'S NEXT
Riders at Midland, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
Probables: RHP Ariel Jurado (2-3, 3.47)) vs. RHP Joel Seddon (4-4, 4.98)
Video: MiLB.tv
Audio: RidersBaseball.com, TuneIn Radio, First Pitch App
About the RoughRiders 
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and play their games at beautiful Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas. The team was founded in 2003 and has finished first among all Double-A franchises in attendance in each of the last 13 seasons (2005-2017). In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg. Since then, the new ownership group, together with the City of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise enhancements, investing over $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, InTouch Grille, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world's largest water feature in a sports facility, the massive Choctaw Lazy River. These enhancements earned the Riders and the City of Frisco Ballpark Digest's prestigious "Best Ballpark Renovation" award for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). More than 140 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball, including All-Stars Chris Davis , Adrián González , Ian Kinsler and Neftalí Feliz , as well as current Rangers stars Elvis Andrus , Rougned Odor and Nomar Mazara . For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders and Dr Pepper Ballpark, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact Ryan Rouillard at [email protected].