TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Travelers Offensive Outburst Tops Naturals

Published on August 28, 2012 under Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


NORTH LITTLE ROCK - Despite a 2-for-3 performance by Julio Rodriguez he Northwest Arkansas Naturals fell to the Arkansas Travelers 12-2 Tuesday night at Dickey-Stephens Park.

The Naturals got on the board first in the top of the first inning. Yem Prades doubled to open the game and Alex McClure singled but was caught stealing. With Prades at third, Brian Fletcher hit his second triple of the 2012 campaign, sending Prades home. Despite the Naturals getting another base runner in the inning, one run was all the offense could muster.

Pitching took over briefly, as Naturals starter JC Sulbaran (0-3) held the lead through the first two innings, but hit a road block in the third. After getting Travis Witherspoon to strikeout, Travs' slugger Paul McAnulty crushed his 10th homer of the season to right field. Roberto Lopez followed the effort with a homer of his own, his 16th of the year. Sulbaran recovered to strike out two of the next three hitters he faced, keeping the Travelers up, but just at 2-1.

Sulbaran again ran into trouble in the fifth, as he walked Witherspoon and McAnulty followed with a single. Casey Haerther followed with a two-run double, making the score 4-1. Another single off the bat of Jimmy Swift chased Sulbaran from the game.

Ryan Dennick took over and got out of the fifth, but allowed eight runs over the course of the next two innings. After loading the bases with nobody out to start the sixth, McAnulty doubled to clear the bases. Later in the inning, a groundout sent McAnulty home and the Travs increased their lead to 8-1.

It was much of the same in the seventh. Swift singled to lead off the inning, and Darwin Perez followed with a double. After Dennick settled in to get two outs, Witherspoon walked and McAnulty reached on a fielding error which cleared the bases. Sam Runion then replaced Dennick and allowed a double that sent McAnulty home to send the lead to double digits at 12-1.

Meanwhile, Jarrett Grube (3-2) settled into a nice groove, pitching eight innings, allowing only two runs. He was cruising through until the eighth, when Julio Rodriguez singled for his second hit of the contest to lead things off. Yowill Espinal followed with a single of his own. Prades grounded into a force out, but with runners at the corners, McClure drove home Rodriguez on a groundout to make it 12-2. Runion settled in and prevented any further damage in the bottom of the eighth to make that the final.

The Naturals will look to even the series Wednesday night at 7:10. Sugar Ray Marimon (3-4 3.97) takes the hill for Northwest Arkansas. He will be opposed by Nick Maronde (3-2, 3.45). The game can be heard on ESPN 92.1 FM The Ticket.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics

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Texas League Stories from August 28, 2012


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