FRISCO The Midland RockHounds used three home runs and a pair of late four-run innings Friday to pull away for a 10-3 victory over the Frisco RoughRiders in Texas League action at Dr Pepper Ballpark.
Nate Mondou’s RBI double off Frisco starter Jason Bahr broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning, and Edwin Diaz and newcomer Taylor Motter followed with back-to-back homers off reliever Walker Weickel as Midland pulled away.
Motter began the season in the Detroit Tigers system and was playing for New Britain of the independent Atlantic League before the Oakland Athletics purchased his contract on Tuesday. Friday’s game was his RockHounds debut.
Midland moved into sole possession of first place in the South Division as Corpus Christi lost at Amarillo.
The RockHounds finish with just six hits, but took advantage of eight walks to build runs. Frisco led 1-0 after four innings, but Dairon Blanco led off the fifth with a walk and Collin Theroux homered on the next pitch to put the RockHounds ahead.
In the seventh, Theroux walked with two outs before Mondou, Diaz and Motter broke the game open.
In the eighth, Kevin Merrell, Mikey White and Tyler Ramirez walked to load the bases with no outs. Blanco hit into a fielder’s choice to drive in a run and White scored on a wild pitch. Walks to Theroux, Mondou and Diaz forced in another run and Brallan Perez added an RBI single.
Grant Holmes (3-1) worked the last four innings for the win, giving up a run on five hits and a walk. He struck out four.
Bahr (0-1) was charged with four runs on three hits over 6.2 innings. He walked two and struck out six.
Frisco’s Charles Leblanc went 3 for 5 with a double.
The RoughRiders took a 1-0 lead in the first on Andretty Cordero’s RBI single. Michael De Leon singled in a run in the fifth to tie it at 2-2. LeDarious Clark added an RBI single in the eighth.
