Rangers System Daily: Home Run Barrage in Hodgetown and Two-Way Talent in Arizona
The RoughRiders launch five home runs in Amarillo, Hub City battles back to .500, and the Crawdads improve to 9-2 behind a late Paulino Santana blast. Gavin Collyer made his MLB Debut.
Power was the theme across the Texas Rangers' farm system on Wednesday, April 15th, highlighted by a five-homer performance from the Frisco RoughRiders in Amarillo. While the Round Rock Express struggled to find their footing in a lopsided loss, the lower levels of the system showed grit, with both the Spartanburgers and Crawdads grinding out one-run victories to keep their early-season momentum trending upward.
April 15 Game Recaps
Round Rock Express Record: 5-12
The Express dropped a lopsided 14-1 game to the Chihuahuas on Wednesday. The offense struggled, as Cam Cauley and Dairon Blanco recorded the only hits for Round Rock. Starter Josh Stephan labored through 1 2/3 innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on six hits with three strikeouts.
Alexis Díaz provided a bright spot, striking out two in a scoreless inning of work. Díaz has yet to allow a run in 6.0 IP this season and has racked up 10 strikeouts. Conversely, Josh Sborz struggled, allowing three runs while recording just one out. Round Rock avoided the shutout in the ninth when Jose Herrera scored from third after Justin Foscue grounded into a double play.
Frisco RoughRiders Record: 7-4
The RoughRiders’ lineup clearly enjoys the hitter-friendly confines of Hodgetown, launching five home runs tonight under new manager Chad Comer. Frainyer Chavez started the fireworks with a leadoff homer in the first—his third of the year, which currently leads the farm system. John Taylor of The Baseball Bat Bros also joined the party with a two-run shot, his second of the season.
LHP Blake Townsend settled in nicely after a rocky first start of the year, needing only 10 pitches to navigate the first inning. However, the standout performance came from Wilian Bormie, who earned the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings, racking up four strikeouts on a devastating splitter-slider combo. Bormie was the only RoughRiders pitcher to post a scoreless outing.
Hub City Spartanburgers Record: 5-5
Hub City clawed back to .500 with a 6-5 win over the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Quincy Scott hit his first home run of the year to help the cause. Several Spartanburgers turned in multi-hit performances:
- Maxton Martin: 2-for-5, 2 runs
- Arturo Disla: 2-for-5, RBI
- Malcolm Moore: 2-for-5, RBI, run
- Chandler Pollard: 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBIs, BB
Brock Porter earned his second win of the season despite allowing two runs over three innings. Luke Savage locked down his first save with two scoreless frames and three strikeouts. Joey Danielson also contributed 1 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings.
Hickory Crawdads Record: 9-2
The Crawdads continued their winning ways with a 5-4 victory at L.P. Frans Stadium. Trailing late, Paulino Santana crushed a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game. Santana is currently hitting .300 with an .879 OPS.
LHP Michael Trausch earned the win in relief, stifling the RidgeYaks (Red Sox) with three hitless innings. Trausch has been dominant this year, posting a 0.80 WHIP with 10 strikeouts in 8.0 IP. Starter Aidan Deakins went four innings without allowing an earned run. Offensively, Deward Tovar and Juan Sulbaran each recorded an RBI to help clinch the victory.
A Look Back at April 14
Round Rock Express Record: 5-11
The Express took down the El Paso Chihuahuas 6-4 on Tuesday. Justin Foscue led the charge, finishing 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs. On the mound, Josh Sborz looked sharp in his rehab appearance, striking out two in a scoreless inning with a fastball that topped out at 95.2 mph. Gavin Collyer continued his strong start to the year, tossing another scoreless frame to lower his season ERA to 2.70.
Hub City Spartanburgers Record: 4-5
Malcolm Moore provided the offensive highlight with his first home run of the season.
Starting pitcher Aidan Curry turned in a gem, going five innings and allowing just one run on three hits and a walk while striking out six.
Through nine innings this season, Curry has a 1.00 ERA with 13 strikeouts and only one walk.
Arizona Rangers (Extended Spring Training)
In the desert, Josh Owens is quickly becoming a name to watch. The Rangers are exploring rare territory with two-way players (TWP), and Owens showcased that versatility yesterday. He tossed two innings, hitting 95 mph on the gun, and helped his own cause by launching a 426-foot home run.
Between this and his two scoreless innings last week, Owens is a prime candidate for a promotion to Hickory soon. The Rangers are keeping a close eye on their development in Arizona, as they currently roster two of the five two-way players (Josh Owens and Seong-Jun Kim) in the minor leagues.
Gavin Collyer makes MLB Debut
Gavin Collyer was called up by the Texas Rangers and made his first appearance in last night's game against the Athletics for his MLB debut. He only faced one batter but struck him out looking on three pitches. It doesn't get much better than that. Congratulations Gavin Collyer!
