STWF Sports | NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. | May 30, 2026  — For eight innings Saturday night, the Frisco RoughRiders were staring at the wrong side of history.

Frisco RoughRiders Face Tough Competition

Arkansas Travelers right-hander Ryan Sloan delivered one of the most dominant pitching performances Frisco has faced this season, throwing six perfect innings with 11 strikeouts as Arkansas carried a perfect game into the ninth before holding on for a 7-3 win over the RoughRiders at Dickey-Stephens Park.

The loss dropped Frisco to 25-23, while Arkansas improved to 30-19 and moved one win away from taking the five-game series.

Sloan set the tone immediately. The Travelers starter attacked the strike zone, changed speeds effectively and kept Frisco hitters off balance through six flawless frames. He did not allow a hit, walk or baserunner while piling up 11 strikeouts in a commanding outing that improved his record to 1-2.

Arkansas’ bullpen kept the bid alive through the seventh and eighth innings, pushing the perfect game attempt into the final frame with the Travelers leading 7-0.

Frisco finally broke through in the ninth.

Corey Joyce led off the inning with a walk, ending the Travelers’ perfect game bid. Moments later, Frainyer Chavez ripped an RBI double to break up the no-hitter and put the RoughRiders on the board. Dylan Dreiling followed with an RBI single, extending both his hitting streak and on-base streak, before Rafe Perich drove in another run on a fielder’s choice.

The late push prevented the shutout and brought some life to Frisco’s dugout, but the deficit proved too large to overcome.

Dreiling’s ninth-inning single continued one of the most consistent offensive stretches on the RoughRiders’ roster. The outfielder extended his hitting streak to 11 games and his on-base streak to 19 contests, keeping his strong month alive despite a tough night overall for the Frisco lineup.

While the RoughRiders found late offense, Arkansas had already created enough separation early.

The Travelers jumped on Frisco starter Austin Bergner in the second inning, scoring three runs to take control of the game. Arkansas continued to apply pressure in the fourth, adding three more runs to stretch the advantage to 6-0.

Caleb Cali added the final blow in the fifth inning with a solo home run, pushing the Travelers ahead 7-0.

Bergner took the loss in his start for Frisco, falling to 0-1.

The RoughRiders’ bullpen helped stop the bleeding after Arkansas built its lead. Josh Trentadue worked a scoreless inning, while Janser Lara followed with two shutout frames to give Frisco some stability late in the game. Their work kept the Travelers from expanding the margin and allowed the RoughRiders to make their ninth-inning push.

Despite the loss, Frisco preserved one notable piece of Texas League history.

Because Arkansas could not complete the perfect game, the RoughRiders still hold the league’s two most recent perfect games. Martin Perez threw a five-inning perfect game for Frisco on April 19, 2011, while A.J. Murray, Steve Karsay and Scott Feldman combined for a nine-inning perfect game on July 28, 2005, at Corpus Christi.

Saturday’s game was a rare reminder of how quickly momentum can shift in a series.

Just one night earlier, Frisco had bounced back from a shutout loss in a doubleheader opener with an 8-0 win in the nightcap. But on Saturday, the Travelers answered with a dominant pitching display of their own, powered by Sloan’s near-flawless start and an offense that capitalized early.

The RoughRiders will now look to regroup quickly.

Frisco and Arkansas close the five-game series Sunday afternoon at Dickey-Stephens Park, with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 p.m. Left-hander Dylan MacLean, who enters at 4-0 with a 4.46 ERA, is scheduled to start for the RoughRiders. Arkansas will counter with right-hander Adam Leverett, who comes in at 1-1 with a 4.63 ERA.

For Frisco, Sunday’s finale offers a chance to finish the road set on a positive note after a frustrating night defined by missed opportunities, early damage and a Travelers pitching performance that nearly became historic.