STWF Sports | FRISCO, Texas | June 16, 2026 — The Frisco RoughRiders return to Riders Field on Tuesday morning with the first-half finish line in sight and a chance to move closer to another postseason berth.
Frisco opens a seven-game series against the Arkansas Travelers, the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, at 11:05 a.m. The RoughRiders enter the matchup at 34-27, holding first place in the Texas League South with just seven games remaining in the first half. Right-hander Aidan Curry will start for Frisco, bringing a 1-1 record and 11.68 ERA into the opener. Arkansas will counter with right-hander Michael Morales, who enters at 2-1 with a 5.13 ERA.
The series carries major weight for Frisco, whose magic number to clinch the first-half division title sits at four. The RoughRiders have reached the playoffs 10 times in franchise history, most recently in 2024, and have won two championships, coming in 2004 and 2022. Frisco has also claimed eight first-half titles, including last season.
Excitement Builds for the Frisco RoughRiders
The Riders return home after a frustrating finish Sunday night in San Antonio, where the Missions stunned Frisco 6-5 in 12 innings at Nelson Wolff Stadium. The RoughRiders appeared positioned to leave town with another win after building an early lead and receiving a dominant start from left-hander Dylan MacLean.
Frisco opened the scoring in the second inning when Ian Moller launched a solo home run. Moller added a sacrifice fly in the fourth to make it 2-0, giving MacLean enough cushion to work with. MacLean delivered one of his strongest outings of the year, throwing a career-best 6.1 scoreless innings while allowing four hits, striking out five and walking one.
San Antonio rallied in the eighth, using a Ryan Jackson two-run triple to tie the game before Jackson scored on a wild pitch to put the Missions ahead 3-2. Frisco responded in the ninth when Orlando Martinez came through with a two-out RBI single to tie the game. Martinez then helped force extras with a diving catch in right field in the bottom of the inning.
After scoreless 10th and 11th frames, the Riders reclaimed control in the 12th behind a pinch-hit RBI double from Arturo Disla and an RBI single from Marcus Lee Sang. But San Antonio had the final answer. Ethan Salas delivered an RBI single before Romeo Sanabria ended the night with a two-run walk-off homer against Eric Loomis.
Now, Frisco turns its focus to Arkansas, a club it recently took a series from in North Little Rock. The RoughRiders won that June set 3-2, outscoring the Travelers 21-19 while holding Arkansas to a .191 batting average and a .584 OPS. The teams will also make up a postponed game Wednesday as part of a doubleheader beginning at 5:05 p.m.
Pitching remains one of Frisco’s biggest strengths entering the series. The RoughRiders’ bullpen owns a 3.90 ERA, ranking third in Double-A and first in the Texas League. Over the last 16 games, Frisco relievers have posted a Texas League-best 3.16 ERA. Last week in San Antonio, the bullpen covered 24.2 innings and allowed eight earned runs.
The starting staff has also surged, going 3-0 with a 2.03 ERA last week, the third-best mark in the league.
Offensively, Frisco continues to be one of the Texas League’s most productive clubs. Through 61 games, the RoughRiders rank second in the league with 543 hits, second in batting average at .265, and second in runs with 382, averaging 6.3 per game. Frisco has scored seven or more runs in 26 games and is 20-1 when scoring at least eight.
Rafe Perich remains one of the hottest bats in the Rangers’ system. Since joining Frisco, he has homered four times in 14 games, and his 15 total home runs between High-A Hub City and Frisco lead the organization. Dylan Dreiling also remains a key piece in the lineup, ranking eighth in the Texas League with a .291 average after recently finishing a 28-game on-base streak tied for eighth-longest in franchise history.
For the RoughRiders, the formula is simple: keep getting strong pitching, strike early, and close out tight games. With a division title within reach, Tuesday’s opener offers Frisco another chance to take control of the first-half race at home.
