The Frisco RoughRiders leaned on elite pitching and timely power to grind out a 2-1 win over the San Antonio Missions on Thursday night at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, moving back atop the Texas League South standings with just three games left in the first half.
Josh Stephan (5-2) delivered a masterful outing for Frisco (37-28), tossing a career-high-tying seven innings while allowing just one unearned run and striking out five. The right-hander has now gone seven frames in back-to-back starts, a feat no RoughRiders pitcher had accomplished since 2018, when Richelson Peña and Ariel Jurado pulled it off on consecutive nights.
Hatcher’s Homer Holds Up
Frisco got all the offense it needed in the third inning, when Josh Hatcher turned on a pitch and deposited it beyond the wall for a two-run home run, giving the Riders an early 2-0 edge. Hatcher continues to dominate left-handed pitching, now hitting .327 against southpaws, the highest average by a lefty and third overall in the Texas League.
San Antonio (37-29) responded in the fourth with an RBI single from Romeo Sanabria, but couldn’t break through again against Frisco’s bullpen.
Bullpen Locks It Down
Travis MacGregor bridged the gap with a scoreless eighth, earning his 10th hold of the season—tied for the most in Minor League Baseball. In the ninth, Skylar Hales navigated early trouble after allowing a leadoff single to Brandon Valenzuela, striking out two and inducing a key fielder’s choice to lock up the save.
Jared Kollar (0-2) took the loss for San Antonio, giving up both runs across four innings of work.
Standings Watch
With the win, Frisco reclaims first place in the Texas League South, now leading San Antonio and Midland by half a game. The RoughRiders’ magic number to clinch the first-half division title is three, with three games remaining in the half.
Notables:
- Josh Stephan: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R (unearned), 5 K
- Josh Hatcher: 2-run HR, .327 BA vs LHP (Texas League-best among lefties)
- Skylar Hales: 9th-inning save, working around leadoff single
- Travis MacGregor: MiLB co-leader with 10 holds
