STWF Sports | FRISCO, Texas | July 2, 2026 — The Frisco RoughRiders leaned on their bullpen Thursday night, but the Midland RockHounds struck early, got a strong start from Corey Avant and pulled away late for a 10-4 win at Riders Field.
The loss dropped Frisco to 4-5 in the second half and 43-34 overall. Midland improved to 7-2 in the second half and 39-38 overall, continuing its strong start after the break.
Midland set the tone immediately. The RockHounds opened the game with three straight hits against Joey Danielson, producing two runs before Frisco had a chance to settle in. In a game built around multiple arms for the RoughRiders, the early traffic put the home club in chase mode from the first inning.
Danielson took the loss, moving to 1-1 on the season. Frisco used six pitchers in total, with Danielson followed by Bryan Magdaleno, Anthony Susac, Janser Lara, Josh Trentadue and Cole Stasio. The revolving-door approach kept the RoughRiders searching for rhythm, while Midland continued to pressure the staff throughout the night.
Frisco RoughRiders Strive for Consistency in Second Half
The RockHounds added three more runs in the third inning, extending their advantage and creating separation. By the end of the fourth, Midland held a 6-0 lead, and Frisco’s offense was still looking for its first major push.
A major reason for that was Avant.
The Midland right-hander delivered one of his sharpest outings of the season, holding Frisco scoreless across six innings. Avant allowed just one hit, worked efficiently and kept the RoughRiders from creating consistent scoring chances. His command forced Frisco into quick outs and prevented the Riders from building the type of inning that could have changed the game early.
Avant earned the win to improve to 2-5, giving Midland the foundation it needed before turning things over to the bullpen.
Frisco finally broke through in the seventh inning. Keith Jones II brought in the RoughRiders’ first run with an RBI single, giving the home crowd something to build on and trimming the deficit to 6-1.
The Riders kept pushing in the eighth. Marcus Lee Sang came through with the biggest swing of the night for Frisco, driving in two runs with a triple. Lee Sang then scored on a wild pitch, cutting Midland’s lead to 6-4 and giving the RoughRiders a late chance to make things interesting.
That momentum did not last long.
Midland responded in the top of the ninth with four runs, stretching the lead back to six and taking control of the game for good. The late rally erased much of the pressure Frisco had created in the previous two innings and gave the RockHounds enough cushion to close comfortably.
Jared Johnson finished the job for Midland, retiring Frisco in order to secure his first save of the season.
While the final score favored Midland, Lara gave Frisco a strong bright spot out of the bullpen. The right-hander fired 2.1 perfect innings, retiring all seven batters he faced. His clean outing helped stabilize the middle portion of the game and gave the RoughRiders a productive relief appearance on a night when the staff was asked to cover all nine innings.
Still, the early deficit and lack of offense against Avant proved too much to overcome. Frisco managed its late rally, but Midland’s ninth-inning answer shut down any comeback hopes.
The RoughRiders have already punched their postseason ticket after winning the Texas League South Division first-half title, but the second half continues to present opportunities to sharpen execution, especially in tight series against division opponents. Thursday’s result gave Midland the edge in the matchup, while Frisco will look to respond quickly.
The series continues Friday night at Riders Field. The RoughRiders will send left-hander Dalton Pence to the mound, entering at 2-2 with a 2.95 ERA. Midland will counter with right-hander Jack Finley, who comes in at 0-0 with a 3.05 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
