STWF Sports | FRISCO, Texas | July 4, 2025 — The Frisco RoughRiders return to Riders Field on Saturday night with a chance to move ahead in their six-game series against the Midland RockHounds after delivering one of their cleanest wins of the second half.

Frisco hosts Midland, the Double-A affiliate of the Athletics, at 7:05 p.m. in the fifth game of the series. Right-hander Ben Anderson is scheduled to start for the RoughRiders, entering at 0-1 with a 3.97 ERA. Midland will counter with right-hander Henry Baez, who comes in at 1-4 with a 7.11 ERA.

The matchup follows Frisco’s 4-0 shutout win over the RockHounds on Friday night, a victory that evened the series at two games apiece and gave the RoughRiders a strong response after Thursday’s 10-4 loss.

Frisco improved to 5-5 in the second half and 44-34 overall with the win, while Midland dropped to 7-3 and 39-39. The RoughRiders controlled the game behind timely offense from Marcus Lee Sang and a dominant combined effort from the pitching staff.

Frisco RoughRiders Take Center Stage in the Texas League

Dalton Pence opened the night for Frisco and set the tone with two scoreless innings. The RoughRiders gave him support in the bottom of the second when Lee Sang launched a two-run home run off Midland starter Jackson Finley, putting Frisco ahead 2-0.

Lee Sang struck again in the fourth, doubling home two more runs to extend the lead to 4-0. He drove in all four of Frisco’s runs, recording his third game of the season with at least four RBIs. His production was more than enough for a pitching staff that never allowed Midland to break through.

Pence worked into the fifth and finished with 4.2 scoreless innings and six strikeouts. From there, Austin Roberts, Jonathan Brand and Eric Loomis finished the shutout with clean relief work. The bullpen allowed just two hits and two walks while combining for eight strikeouts.

The result continued a strong strikeout week for the RoughRiders. Frisco leads the Texas League with 53 strikeouts this week, highlighted by Aidan Curry’s season-best 11-strikeout outing Tuesday against Midland. Curry’s total tied the highest mark by a Texas League starter this season and was the most by a RoughRiders starter since Emiliano Teodo struck out 11 Amarillo hitters on June 16, 2024. Frisco also struck out 18 as a team Tuesday, its highest total since April 23, 2025, against Corpus Christi.

The RoughRiders and RockHounds have played evenly throughout the season. Frisco and Midland split their first two series before this week, with the RoughRiders dropping a 4-2 series at home in April before taking a 4-2 series in Midland in May. Frisco is now 8-8 against Midland this season, hitting .264 with a .357 on-base percentage, a .432 slugging percentage and 17 home runs in 16 games.

The RoughRiders’ pitching staff has also handled Midland better than most. Frisco owns a 4.44 ERA against the RockHounds this year, the second-best mark by any Midland opponent this season, trailing only Amarillo.

Frisco has already locked up a postseason berth after clinching the Texas League South Division first-half title on June 18. It marked the franchise’s 11th playoff appearance and first since 2024. The RoughRiders finished the first half 39-29, their eighth-best winning percentage in franchise history.

Even with that playoff spot secured, Frisco continues to chase consistency in the second half. Much of that push runs through Frainyer Chavez, who remains one of the hottest hitters in the Texas League.

Chavez earned Texas League Player of the Week honors last week after hitting .481 with two doubles, three home runs, eight RBIs and seven runs in Amarillo. Over his last 38 games, he is batting .372 with a .474 on-base percentage, a .614 slugging percentage, seven home runs and 24 RBIs. He ranks among the league leaders in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS, hits, doubles, walks, extra-base hits and runs scored.

Power has also remained a major storyline for Frisco. The RoughRiders tied their franchise record with 17 home runs in a six-game series last week in Amarillo. Through 78 games, their 104 home runs are the most in franchise history at this point in a season, while their 6.2 runs per game also mark a franchise-best pace.

Saturday gives Frisco a chance to turn Friday’s shutout into series momentum. With Anderson on the mound and a lineup that continues to rank among Double-A’s best in hits, doubles and OPS, the RoughRiders will look to protect home field and move one win away from taking the series.