‘Riders Rewind — May 23
Miss the last RoughRiders game? Catch up on the action or relive the highlights with ‘Riders Rewind, a daily capsule of yesterday’s big moments. Listen to previous editions of ‘Riders Rewind here.
The RoughRiders boatraced the Tulsa Drillers 13–0 on Friday night to take the series over their north division opponent. Click here to read the full game recap.
Pitching remained the prominent storyline throughout the three-game set. Both teams had it on Wednesday, the Drillers dominated on Thursday with Jon Gray, and the ‘Riders flexed their muscle in the finale as Luke Jackson and Jimmy Reyes shut out the Rockies’ Double-A affiliate and allowed just four hits.
While the arms were the overarching theme of the series, the RoughRiders’ bats stole the show on FFN (Friday Fireworks Night). The ‘Riders rocked the Drillers for 13 hits and drew seven walks. Every man in the order reached base for Frisco, seven different players recorded hits and seven men scored a run.
In case you missed it: Trever Adams and Jake Smolinski swapped positions in the ninth inning. Adams moved out to left field and Smolinksi appeared at first base. It was the first time this season Smolinski played in the infield. He had been fielding ground balls and throws from second base during batting practice before the game, and in the wake of his team’s 13-run lead, received some in-game experience at first. He didn’t record a putout, however, as Reyes retired the Drillers on a popout and two strikeouts.
Star of the Game: 1B Trever Adams — 2/3, GS HR, 3R, 6RBI, BB, SF
It would have been larceny to deprive Adams of his second consecutive “Star of the Game” designation after his performance on Friday. The 6-foot 200 pound right-hander turned in perhaps the best single-game hitting performance of the season for the RoughRiders (fans could make an argument for Rougned Odor’s showing on April 12: 4/6, 2HR, 2B, 4R, 3RBI, SB).
Adams blew the game open with his grand slam in the fourth inning off Ryan Arrowood. The blast capped a five-run fourth inning for the RoughRiders, who took a 9–0 lead and coasted the rest of the way. The 25-year-old hit the first grand slam of the season for Frisco and vaulted himself into a tie with Smolinski for most RBI on the team (24). Adams set a new single-game career high with a half-dozen runs driven in and also owns the high-water mark on the team in the same respect.
Honorable mention: I can’t sign off on this post without acknowledging two other key players in the lineup last night. Guilder Rodriguez has been resurgent since his return to the RoughRiders on May 14. On Friday, G-Rod went 2-for-3 with two runs and two walks. He scored the first run of the game and the first run of what became a five-run fourth inning for the ‘Riders. The Venezuelan is batting 8-for-21 in his second stint with the club this year.
Patrick Cantwell built on the momentum accrued from his solo home run on Wednesday. The backstop registered his first three-hit game of the season, scored two runs and drove in two more. He cracked his third double of the season in the third inning and would eventually hit in — you guessed it — three straight innings as the offense rolled through the middle part of the contest.
https://soundcloud.com/deuce-daisy/sets/highlights-may-23
Enjoy the highlights and thanks for tuning in.
-Chris V.
