Rookie Wyatt Mathisen hit his first two career homers, fellow rookie Daulton Varsho knocked in the go-ahead run with a triple, and the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied for a 7-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.
The Diamondbacks were trailing 3-1 going into the sixth but rallied for a six-run inning off Rangers pitchers Wes Benjamin, Nick Goody and Brett Martin. Arizona sent 10 batters to the plate. Carson Kelly had a game-tying, two-run single, Varsho followed with the go-ahead triple, and then Mathisen and Tim Locastro hit back-to-back homers to push the lead to 7-3.
Mathisen was batting ninth in the D-backs order and had just two hits in his first 19 big-league at-bats, but he smashed homers in back-to-back innings, the fifth and sixth, with both clearing the left-center field wall. He finished with three RBIs.
Benjamin was impressive through the first five innings of his first big-league start, giving up just one run on Mathisen's solo homer. But the first two D-backs batters of the sixth reached on hard-hit singles, which started the decisive rally. The left-hander gave up three runs on seven hits over five innings.
Goody (0-2) took the loss, giving up three earned runs and recording only one out. Sam Huff had two doubles for the Rangers. Isiah Kiner-Falefa had a triple and two RBIs.
D-backs starting pitcher Alex Young gave up three runs on six hits over five innings. Keury Mella (2-0) got the win with a scoreless inning of relief. The D-backs swept the two-game series from the Rangers.
ROAD WOES
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
The Rangers had a 6-24 record away from Globe Life Field and finished the current road trip with a 2-7 record. The Diamondbacks weren't much better with a 9-21 mark in their 30-game road schedule. Both teams finish the shortened season with a series at home.
RARE ROOKIE FEAT
Mathisen is just the second D-backs player in franchise history to hit his first two career homers in the same game. The other was Conor Jackson in 2005.
It's been a long road to the big leagues for Mathisen, who languished for years in the minors after being drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012. The 26-year-old was signed by the D-backs before last season as a minor-league free agent and had 23 homers in Triple-A.
UP NEXT
Rangers: Texas wraps up its season with a four-game home series against the Houston Astros. RHP Lance Lynn (6-2, 2.53 ERA) makes his final start in the opener on Thursday.
Diamondbacks: Arizona has a day off on Thursday before a doubleheader on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. The D-backs will start RHP Taylor Clarke (2-0, 3.99) and RHP Zac Gallen (2-2, 3.00).
