July 22, 2025 | Equity Bank Park, Wichita, KS – The Frisco RoughRiders were overwhelmed by an offensive onslaught from the Wichita Wind Surge, falling 12-5 in the opener of a six-game series on Tuesday night at Equity Bank Park. With four home runs in the first six innings and eight extra-base hits overall, Wichita (11-11, 48-43) leaned on the long ball to secure a dominant win and keep pace in the Texas League postseason picture.

Wichita wasted no time igniting their home crowd. In the bottom of the first, designated hitter Kala’i Rosario launched a two-run blast to deep left, followed by a solo shot from Kyler Fedko just four pitches later to stake the Wind Surge to an early 3-0 lead. That damage came against Frisco starter Mitch Bratt, who struggled to locate early. Jake Rucker added to the barrage in the second inning with a leadoff homer, pushing the lead to 4-0.

The Wind Surge continued the pressure in the third when catcher Andrew Cossetti dropped an RBI single into shallow left, capping a three-inning, five-run ambush against Bratt. The left-hander would ultimately be tagged for seven runs over five innings, marking his toughest outing of the season.

Frisco (8-14, 46-44) began to claw back in the fourth. Abimelec Ortiz, who continues to pace the team in RBI, drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Josh Hatcher followed with an RBI groundout to cut the deficit to 5-2.

That momentum briefly carried into the fifth as the Riders mounted their strongest offensive frame. Aaron Zavala laced a two-run triple into the right-field corner, then Alejandro Osuna—playing in his first game back from the Texas Rangers—slapped an RBI single to bring Frisco within one, 6-5.

But the Wind Surge quickly doused any comeback hopes.

In the bottom half of the fifth, Fedko struck again with his second homer of the night, and in the sixth, the game fully unraveled for the Riders bullpen. Kaelen Culpepper, Rosario (his second), and Gabriel Gonzalez all homered in the inning, unleashing a three-home-run frame and pushing Wichita’s lead to a commanding 11-5.

Cossetti delivered one final blow with an RBI single in the eighth, his second run driven in of the night. The Wind Surge totaled five homers on the evening—matching their season-high—and left no doubt in the late innings.

Wind Surge reliever Mike Paredes (10-0) picked up the win in relief, tossing three scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. Bratt (5-3) took the loss for Frisco, though the bullpen was also tagged for five earned runs in the final four innings.

Notables & Numbers:

• Alejandro Osuna impressed in his return to Double-A, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. The outfielder now owns 10 multi-hit efforts in 32 games with Frisco this season.

• Sebastian Walcott extended his hitting streak to six games, continuing to showcase his consistency at the plate.

• Aaron Zavala’s two-run triple gave him five RBI over his last four games.

Frisco will look to rebound in Game 2 of the series on Wednesday night. RHP Josh Stephan (5-4, 5.53 ERA) takes the hill for the RoughRiders against Wichita southpaw Christian MacLeod (0-2, 2.25 ERA).

First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. at Equity Bank Park. Catch the live broadcast on the H-E-B Riders Baseball Network at RidersBaseball.com/Broadcast.

For more MiLB coverage, follow @STWFsports on all platforms.