STWF Sports | FRISCO, Texas | June 3, 2026  — The Frisco RoughRiders spent most of Wednesday night chasing the Springfield Cardinals. By the end, Rafe Perich made sure the chase ended with a celebration at home plate.

Perich launched a ninth-inning walk-off home run to right field, lifting the RoughRiders to an 8-7 comeback win over Springfield at Riders Field. The victory evened the six-game series at one game apiece and pushed Frisco to 27-24 on the season, while Springfield fell to 24-28.

It was a game full of momentum swings, late offense and another major league rehab highlight for Frisco. The Riders trailed by three runs twice, battled back to take the lead, lost it again and finally finished the night with one swing.

Springfield opened the scoring against Frisco starter Blake Townsend, who entered the night on a strong two-start stretch. The Cardinals put together a two-run rally in the second inning and added another run in the fourth to build a 3-0 advantage.

For five innings, Springfield starter Mason Molina kept the RoughRiders quiet. Frisco could not break through early, but that changed in the sixth when Wyatt Langford stepped to the plate in the second game of his MLB rehab assignment.

Langford delivered the swing Frisco needed, blasting a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 3-2. The homer gave the crowd at Riders Field a jolt and continued Langford’s impressive power production during his time in Double-A.

Springfield responded quickly. In the top of the seventh, Zach Levenson delivered a two-run single that stretched the Cardinals’ lead back to three runs at 5-2.

That could have been enough to quiet the RoughRiders. Instead, Frisco answered with its biggest inning of the night.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Riders scored four runs on four hits and three walks to take their first lead. Frainyer Chavez, who has been locked in throughout the series, tied the game with a single. Arturo Disla then worked an RBI walk to push Frisco in front, turning a three-run deficit into a 6-5 lead.

The Cardinals did not go away, and the game eventually moved to the ninth tied 7-7. That set the stage for the RoughRiders’ bullpen and one final swing from Perich.

Wilian Bormie worked a scoreless top of the ninth, giving Frisco a chance to win it in the bottom half. Perich then jumped on a hanging breaking ball from DJ Carpenter and sent it over the right-field wall for the walk-off winner.

The home run was Perich’s 13th of the season between High-A and Double-A, the most by any hitter in the Texas Rangers’ minor league system this year. It also added another memorable moment to a season in which Perich has continued to show power and poise in big spots.

Langford’s homer was another key storyline. The Texas Rangers outfielder has now hit three home runs during rehab assignments with the RoughRiders over the last two seasons. He also has seven Double-A home runs in 17 career games at the level, continuing to show how comfortable he looks at Riders Field.

Corey Seager also completed the second game of his rehab assignment, finishing 0-for-3.

Chavez was one of the biggest offensive engines for Frisco. He matched a career high with four hits and is now 7-for-9 through the first two games of the series with two RBI. His seventh-inning single was one of the biggest swings in Frisco’s comeback effort.

For the RoughRiders, Wednesday’s win was about resilience. They were shut down early, fell behind multiple times and still found a way to respond. After Tuesday’s one-run loss to Springfield, Frisco flipped the script with a one-run victory of its own.

The Riders will try to take the series lead Thursday night at Riders Field. Right-hander Winston Santos, who enters at 0-2 with an 8.26 ERA, is scheduled to start for Frisco against Springfield left-hander Liam Doyle, who comes in at 0-3 with a 5.82 ERA.

First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. CT. Thursday will also feature Bowling for Soup Night, Thirsty Thursday and Twisted Tea Rowdy @ the River, with drink specials available through the seventh inning.

After a wild walk-off win, the RoughRiders will look to carry that late-game energy into another night at Riders Field.