FRISCO, TEXAS - A franchise-record crowd showed up to celebrate the Fourth of July at Riders Field on Saturday night, but the Midland RockHounds spoiled the festivities by outslugging the Frisco RoughRiders 8-2.
A historic number of 12,198 fans packed Riders Field, officially the largest single-game crowd in Frisco franchise history. The turnout surpassed the previous record of 12,081 set on July 3, 2025.
RockHounds Strike Early
The game got away from Frisco early on the mound. Making the start for the RoughRiders, right-hander Ben Anderson (0-2) ran into immediate trouble in the opening frame. Midland built a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning on back-to-back home runs from Devin Taylor and Leo De Vries.
The early run support was plenty for Midland starter Henry Baez, who set the tone by striking out the side in the bottom of the first.
Midland extended its lead with two more runs in the second inning before Taylor struck again, hitting his second home run of the game off Anderson in the fourth to make it a 6-0 ballgame. Anderson ground through 5.0 innings, allowing 6 runs on 8 hits and 4 walks while throwing 47 of his 84 pitches for strikes.
Riders Break Through
Frisco broke up the no-hitter and got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Malcolm Moore led off the frame with a double to register the Riders' first hit of the evening. He later came around to score the first of two Frisco runs in the inning on a pair of wild pitches, narrowing the deficit to 6-2.
Midland halted the momentum there. Reliever Jake Garland (4-0) stepped in to throw two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, bridging the gap to secure the win for the RockHounds. Midland added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh to complete the 8-2 final score.
Stasio Shines: Out of the bullpen, Cole Stasio provided a bright spot for Frisco, striking out three of the four batters he faced over 1.1 scoreless innings of work.
Top 5 Crowds in Franchise History according to the Frisco RoughRiders media notes:
12,198 — July 4, 2026
12,081 — July 3, 2025
12,067 — July 20, 2018 (Dude Perfect Night)
12,051 — July 4, 2024
12,045 — July 4, 2023
Series Finale on Sunday
Seeking a series split on Sunday evening, the RoughRiders will send left-hander Dylan MacLean (5-1, 4.29 ERA) to the mound. He will match up against RockHounds right-hander Kenya Huggins (1-3, 5.56 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Riders Field.
