STWF Sports | FRISCO, Texas | June 3, 2026  — The Frisco RoughRiders return to Riders Field on Wednesday night looking to turn a narrow loss into a quick response.

Frisco RoughRiders: A Team on the Rise

Frisco will meet the Springfield Cardinals, the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, at 6:35 p.m. CT in the second game of a six-game series. The RoughRiders will send left-hander Blake Townsend to the mound, while Springfield will counter with left-hander Mason Molina.

Townsend enters at 2-2 with a 4.19 ERA, but his recent work has been much better than his overall numbers suggest. Molina comes in at 1-2 with a 3.18 ERA, setting up a left-handed pitching matchup as Frisco tries to even the series.

The RoughRiders opened the homestand Tuesday with a 7-6 loss to Springfield, a game that nearly turned into another late Frisco comeback. The Riders trailed 7-3 entering the ninth before loading the bases with nobody out. RBI singles from Theo Hardy and Dylan Dreiling trimmed the deficit to one, but Frisco stranded two runners to end the game.

It was another example of the RoughRiders’ season-long one-run tension. Frisco is now 7-11 in one-run games. In five of those 11 losses, the Riders scored at least once in the final inning to turn the game into a one-run defeat, only to fall just short. The bullpen has not been the main issue in those close losses, as only two of the 11 defeats featured a blown lead by the relief corps.

Tuesday’s opener also had a major league feel with Texas Rangers stars Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford beginning rehab assignments with Frisco. Both went 1-for-2 in their first rehab games. Langford added two walks, a stolen base and a run scored, giving the RoughRiders’ lineup another spark.

Seager helped ignite Frisco’s first scoring rally in the third inning with a single, while Langford followed with a walk. Four straight Riders reached base with two outs, and Dreiling drew an RBI walk to give Frisco a 1-0 lead.

Springfield answered with two runs in the fourth before Frainyer Chavez tied the game with a ground-rule double. The Cardinals then took control with four runs in the fifth against starter Aidan Curry, building a 6-2 advantage that forced Frisco into comeback mode.

The Riders now turn to Townsend, who has been one of the team’s best recent pitching stories.

Over his last two starts, Townsend has allowed only one run across 13.1 innings, good for a 0.68 ERA. Both outings were the first two quality starts of his career. His strongest came in Midland, where he worked 7.1 innings and became just the second RoughRiders starting pitcher since 2018 to record an out in the eighth inning. It was the longest start by any Double-A pitcher this season and tied for the fourth-longest start in Minor League Baseball.

A strong outing from Townsend would be important for a Frisco team that continues to produce at the plate but has played a number of tight games.

The RoughRiders remain one of the Texas League’s top offensive clubs. Through 50 games, Frisco ranks second in the league with 454 hits and second in runs with 311, averaging 6.1 runs per game. The Riders also sit second in batting average at .268, fourth in home runs with 64, first in slugging percentage at .441 and tied for first in OPS at .805.

Dreiling continues to be one of the most consistent bats in the order. The Rangers’ No. 10 prospect is ninth in the Texas League with a .291 batting average and carries a 21-game on-base streak into Wednesday. During that stretch, he is hitting .300 with a .418 on-base percentage, five home runs, 17 RBI, 17 walks and only 14 strikeouts.

Arturo Disla has also remained hot since joining Frisco. Nicknamed “The Buffalo,” Disla has hit safely in 13 of 16 games with the RoughRiders and is batting .365 with a 1.031 OPS, three home runs and 14 RBI. Between Frisco and High-A Hub City, he has crushed left-handed pitching, hitting .472 with a 1.435 OPS against southpaws.

Frisco’s offense has been especially dangerous early in games. The Riders have scored 44 first-inning runs, tied for sixth-most in the minors, and have scored in the opening inning 20 times this season.

The key for Wednesday is turning production into separation. Frisco is 16-1 when scoring eight or more runs but just 10-23 when scoring seven or fewer.

After falling just short in the opener, the RoughRiders have a chance to reset quickly. With Townsend in strong form, Dreiling reaching base consistently and the lineup still producing, Frisco will look to even the series and regain control at Riders Field.