STWF Sports| FRISCO, Texas| September 17, 2026 — The Frisco RoughRiders had a commanding early lead Thursday night, but Amarillo refused to go quietly.
Frisco surrendered a six-run advantage and fell 12-7 to the Sod Poodles in Game 2 of the Texas League South Division Series at Riders Field, evening the best-of-three series at one game apiece.
The loss sets up a winner-take-all Game 3 on Friday at 7:05 p.m. CT, with a berth in the Texas League Championship Series on the line.
Frisco RoughRiders’ Path to the Championship
Frisco appeared ready to close out the series early.
After starter Cole Stasio worked a scoreless top of the first, the RoughRiders erupted for five runs in the bottom half against Amarillo right-hander David Hagaman.
Gleider Figuereo opened the scoring with a two-run double, and Max Wagner followed with another two-run double to push the lead to 5-0.
The offense stayed hot in the second when Sebastian Walcott launched a leadoff solo home run, extending the advantage to 6-0.
The homer was Walcott’s first postseason hit in a RoughRiders uniform and his 10th combined home run with Frisco this season between the regular season and postseason.
From that point, however, the momentum shifted completely.
Amarillo began its comeback in the third inning when Alberto Barriga hit a solo home run to make it 6-1. The Sod Poodles then scored in four consecutive innings, steadily chipping away at the deficit.
Amarillo added two runs in the fourth before Ben McLaughlin homered in the fifth. The rally continued in the sixth when Druw Jones lined a two-run single that gave the Sod Poodles their first lead of the night, 7-6.
Frisco’s offense stalled during that stretch, going scoreless from the third through the sixth against reliever Brian Curley.
The RoughRiders finally answered in the seventh when Paxton Kling delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 7-7.
But Amarillo responded again in the eighth.
With two outs, Zach Bryant issued a walk before Danny Serretti delivered the decisive blow, clearing the bases with a double off Wily Villar to put the Sod Poodles back in front, 10-7.
McLaughlin added insurance in the ninth with his second home run of the night, a two-run shot that extended the lead to 12-7.
Sawyer Hawks then held Frisco scoreless in the bottom half to preserve the victory and force a deciding third game.
Pitching control proved costly for the RoughRiders. Frisco used eight pitchers and issued a season-high 10 walks, giving Amarillo repeated opportunities to extend innings and mount its comeback.
One bright spot for Frisco was Malcolm Moore, who collected two hits and drew two walks. Moore has now reached base eight times through the first two games of the series.
The RoughRiders now face a simple postseason scenario: win and advance, or lose and see the season end.
After taking Game 1 in extra innings and building a 6-0 lead in Game 2, Frisco will look to regroup quickly before Friday night’s decisive matchup at Riders Field.
