STWF Sports | FRISCO, Texas | June 17, 2026 — The Frisco RoughRiders enter Wednesday with momentum, urgency and a chance to move closer to a first-half title as they continue their series against the Arkansas Travelers at Riders Field.
Frisco is coming off one of its most dramatic wins of the season, rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the ninth inning to defeat Arkansas 7-6 in 12 innings on Tuesday afternoon. The victory moved the RoughRiders to 35-27 and kept them firmly in control of the Texas League South race with only five games remaining in the first half.
The RoughRiders’ magic number to clinch the division is down to three. Frisco can clinch as early as Wednesday with two wins in its doubleheader and help from Midland against Amarillo. The Riders have reached the postseason 10 times in franchise history, most recently in 2024, and have won two Texas League championships, in 2004 and 2022. They have also claimed the first-half title eight times, including last season.
Tuesday’s comeback added another memorable chapter to Frisco’s push. Both teams received strong starting pitching early, and the game remained scoreless until the sixth inning, when Arkansas scratched across the first run on a wild pitch from Frisco starter Aidan Curry. Curry still delivered his best Double-A outing, setting a career high with 6.1 innings while allowing just two runs and striking out eight.
The RoughRiders were held quiet until the ninth, but Rafe Perich changed the game with one swing. Down to their final two outs, Perich launched a game-tying two-run home run, his 16th homer of the season, to force extra innings.
From there, the game turned into a back-and-forth battle. Both teams scored twice in the 10th, with Marcus Lee Sang delivering a two-run single to keep Frisco alive. The clubs traded runs again in the 11th, with Perich adding an RBI single for the Riders. After Arkansas scored an unearned run in the top of the 12th, Dylan Dreiling tied the game by driving in Corey Joyce before Orlando Martinez ended it with a walk-off single up the middle.
The win also continued a rare stretch of marathon baseball. For the first time in franchise history, the RoughRiders have played back-to-back games of at least 12 innings, following Sunday’s 12-inning loss at San Antonio. Since the automatic runner rule began in 2018, Frisco has played only six 12-inning games, with two of them coming in its last two contests.
Perich remains one of the biggest offensive storylines for the RoughRiders. Since joining Frisco, he has hit five home runs in his first 16 games, and all five have either tied the game or given the Riders the lead. His 16 total home runs this season between High-A Hub City and Frisco lead the Texas Rangers organization. He was named the Rangers’ May Player of the Month after hitting .327 with 11 home runs and 32 RBIs.
Frisco’s bullpen continues to be another strength. The Riders’ relief corps owns a 3.85 ERA, ranking third in Double-A and first in the Texas League. Over the last 18 games, Frisco’s bullpen has posted a Texas League-best 3.04 ERA. The starting staff has also been strong lately, going 3-0 with a 2.17 ERA over the last seven games, the third-best mark in Double-A during that span.
Offensively, Frisco remains one of the league’s most productive teams. Through 62 games, the RoughRiders rank second in the Texas League with 552 hits, second in batting average at .263 and second in runs with 389, averaging 6.3 per game. They also lead the league with 111 doubles and sit second in OPS at .795.
The Riders have been especially dangerous late, leading Double-A with 146 runs scored in the seventh inning or later. That late-game production has helped fuel several comeback pushes, including Tuesday’s walk-off win.
With the first-half race tightening and the playoffs within reach, every inning matters. Frisco has already shown it can win with pitching, power and late-game resilience. Now the RoughRiders have a chance to turn that momentum into a clinching opportunity at Riders Field.
