FRISCO, Texas (May 6, 2026) - The Frisco RoughRiders fell behind early and could not come back in a 9-2 loss to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Wednesday afternoon at Riders Field.
Northwest Arkansas (16-13) built an early 4-0 lead off of Frisco (15-14) starter Blake Townsend (0-2), behind four walks in the first two innings. Townsend walked four on the afternoon, but struck out six of the last seven hitters he faced to finish four innings with just the four runs allowed.
In the bottom of the fourth, Frisco got on the scoreboard when Keyber Rodriguez and John Taylor notched hits off of Felix Arronde (2-1) and Rodriguez scored on a Northwest Arkansas error to make it 4-1.
After that, the Naturals responded with five runs in the fifth inning to take a commanding 9-1 lead, punctuated by a two-run home run by former RoughRider and Major League catcher, Jorge Alfaro.
Frisco got a run back late in the eighth when Taylor singled in Dylan Dreiling to cut the deficit to 9-2.
Notes to Know:
- Taylor finished 4-for-4 at the plate, setting a new career high with four hits. The infielder is now hitting .333, the sixth-best average in the Texas League.
- Rodriguez also had three hits, his sixth three-hit game of the season. He leads the league with 39 hits in Frisco’s first 29 games.
- Townsend’s seven strikeouts tied a career high, marking the second time the lefty has struck out seven batters in his professional career and the first time since 2021.
With the series tied at a game apiece, Frisco turns to RHP Winston Santos (0-1, 10.80) against RHP Drew Beam (1-3, 4.37) in a 6:35 p.m. start on a Thirsty Thursday at Riders Field.
For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.
About the RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the 2022 Texas League champions. In 2023, the team celebrated its 20th anniversary and has consistently finished in the top five among all Double-A franchises in attendance yearly. 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, Bullpen Bar, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world's largest water feature in a sports facility, the massive 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 225 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball including current Rangers Jack Leiter, Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact zbigley@ridersbaseball.com.