STWF Sports | FRISCO, Texas | May 20, 2026 — The Frisco RoughRiders responded exactly the way winning teams are supposed to after a tough loss.

Behind another outstanding performance from left-hander Blake Townsend and timely home runs from Keith Jones II and Frainyer Chavez, the RoughRiders defeated the San Antonio Missions 5-1 Wednesday night at Riders Field to even the six-game series at one game apiece.

After allowing 12 runs in Tuesday’s series opener, Frisco delivered a much cleaner all-around performance in front of the home crowd, combining efficient pitching, early offense and disciplined situational hitting to improve to 21-19 on the season.

The victory also continued what has quickly become one of the strongest stretches of Townsend’s professional career.

Frisco RoughRiders Show Resilience After Tough Loss

The left-hander once again gave the RoughRiders exactly what they needed on the mound.

Coming off a career-best 7.1-inning shutout performance last week in Midland, Townsend followed it up with another quality outing against San Antonio. He worked six innings while allowing just one run on four hits and striking out four to secure his second consecutive victory.

More importantly, Townsend consistently controlled the pace of the game.

He attacked hitters early in counts, limited hard contact and kept San Antonio from generating any sustained offensive momentum after the third inning.

The only damage against him came on a solo home run from Missions outfielder Kai Murphy in the third inning.

Outside of that swing, Townsend largely dominated.

The back-to-back quality starts represent a major development for Frisco’s pitching staff, which had struggled for consistency during parts of April and early May.

Before last week’s dominant performance in Midland, Townsend had never recorded a quality start in his professional career. Now, he has accomplished the feat in consecutive outings while rapidly emerging as one of the most dependable arms in the RoughRiders rotation.

Frisco’s offense gave him support almost immediately.

The RoughRiders continued their trend of scoring early when Chavez opened the bottom of the first inning with a double down the right-field line. After Dylan Dreiling moved Chavez to third with a single, Corey Joyce brought home the game’s first run despite grounding into a double play.

That early run once again highlighted one of Frisco’s biggest strengths this season.

The RoughRiders have consistently been one of the top first-inning offenses in Minor League Baseball, applying pressure early and forcing opposing pitchers to work from behind.

After San Antonio tied the game in the third inning, Frisco answered quickly with the long ball.

Jones II delivered the biggest swing of the night in the fourth inning when he crushed a towering two-run homer an estimated 450 feet into the right-center field seats.

The blast restored the RoughRiders lead and continued Jones’ remarkable offensive month.

The infielder now leads Frisco with 32 RBIs on the season and has driven in runs in six consecutive games. During the month of May alone, Jones has collected 19 RBIs in just 13 games while becoming one of the hottest hitters in the Texas League.

An inning later, Chavez followed with a solo shot of his own to nearly the same area of the ballpark, extending the advantage to 4-1.

The home run capped another strong night for Chavez, who recorded his sixth multi-hit game of the month and continued providing important production throughout the lower half of Frisco’s lineup.

While Chavez was the only RoughRider with multiple hits Wednesday, the overall offensive balance remained impressive.

All nine Frisco starters recorded at least one hit in the victory, showcasing the lineup depth that has helped the RoughRiders become one of the top offensive teams in Double-A baseball this season.

The RoughRiders added another insurance run in the eighth inning when Dreiling lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, giving Frisco a comfortable four-run cushion entering the ninth.

Reliever Wilian Bormie then closed the door with a scoreless final inning to secure the victory.

The win allowed Frisco to quickly regain momentum after Tuesday’s setback while continuing the offensive consistency that has fueled much of the team’s recent success.

Over the last several weeks, the RoughRiders have emerged as one of the most dangerous lineups in the Texas League, consistently producing extra-base hits, timely scoring opportunities and improved situational execution.

Now the series shifts into a pivotal third game Thursday night.

Frisco is expected to send left-hander Dalton Pence to the mound against San Antonio right-hander Ian Koenig during Thirsty Thursday festivities at Riders Field.

And with Townsend continuing to stabilize the rotation and the offense showing no signs of slowing down, the RoughRiders suddenly appear to be building momentum once again..