STWF Sports| FRISCO, Texas| September  18, 2026 — The Frisco RoughRiders’ 2026 season came to an end Friday night, one victory short of a trip to the Texas League Championship Series.

Frisco fell 8-7 to the Amarillo Sod Poodles in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the Texas League South Division Series at Riders Field, closing the book on a season that included a first-half division title and another postseason appearance.

Amarillo took control immediately, scoring six runs in the top of the first inning against left-hander Blake Townsend.

The RoughRiders starter allowed six consecutive baserunners to open the game as the Sod Poodles quickly built momentum. Ben McLaughlin, Druw Jones and Jean Walters each delivered RBI hits during the early surge, putting Frisco in a 6-0 hole before its offense had a chance to settle in.

The RoughRiders, however, did not go quietly.

Frisco began its comeback in the third inning against Josh Grosz, loading the bases before Rafe Perich delivered the biggest swing of the night. With two strikes, Perich launched a grand slam that cut Amarillo’s lead to 6-4 and brought the home crowd back into the game.

The rally continued two innings later.

In the bottom of the fifth, Gleider Figuereo drove in another run with a sacrifice fly, trimming the deficit to 6-5 and turning what had looked like an early blowout into a one-run contest.

While the offense chipped away, Ismael Agreda gave Frisco exactly what it needed out of the bullpen.

Agreda was dominant in relief, throwing 4.2 scoreless innings and allowing only three hits. At one point, the right-hander retired 12 consecutive batters, giving the RoughRiders an opportunity to keep pressure on Amarillo.

The outing was particularly notable because it came in just Agreda’s second career appearance at the Double-A level.

Frisco remained within one run until the ninth, when Amarillo added two crucial insurance runs after Agreda exited.

Those runs proved decisive.

Trailing 8-5 in the bottom of the ninth, the RoughRiders mounted one final push. Dylan Dreiling connected for a two-run home run, cutting the deficit to 8-7 and putting Frisco within one swing of extending its season.

Amarillo reliever Alfred Morrillo recovered and recorded the final outs to secure the save and send the Sod Poodles to the Texas League Championship Series.

For Frisco, the loss ended a memorable 2026 campaign.

The RoughRiders won the Texas League South Division first-half title and returned to the postseason, but ultimately fell one game short of advancing to the championship round.

Highlights from the Frisco RoughRiders’ Season

Perich and Dreiling provided fitting final offensive moments. The two combined for 38 home runs during the regular season and both delivered major blows in the season finale, with Perich’s grand slam and Dreiling’s ninth-inning homer keeping Frisco alive until the final outs.

The defeat will sting because of how close the RoughRiders came, but the season also provided several significant accomplishments and standout individual performances.

Frisco’s run ended with one final rally, one final home run and one final push toward a championship that ultimately remained just out of reach.