Blewett, Bats Send Naturals to Convincing Win
August 10, 2018 - Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release
SPRINGDALE, Ark - Northwest Arkansas put it all together on Friday night as starter Scott Blewett authored a complete game victory while the bats scored 12 runs on 18 hits and a couple of home runs as the Naturals (21-26, 55-61) won in convincing fashion over the Frisco RoughRiders (18-30, 52-66) by a 12-1 final. The 18 hits were the most the Naturals have recorded in a single game this season, surpassing the previous mark of 17 that was done twice with the last coming on May 13 against Tulsa.
While the offense shined for Northwest Arkansas, the story of the night was the starting pitcher. Like most Naturals' starters, Blewett (W, 7-6) has been a hot pitcher of late. The big right-hander entered tonight's game having won two of his last three appearances while striking out 15 in those 14.0 innings. Tonight he was even better as he went the distance against the RoughRiders to earn his seventh win of the season by limiting Frisco to just a run on eight hits while striking out three. The 9.0 inning complete game was the first by a Naturals' pitcher since Corey Ray did it on June 8, 2017 at home against Springfield.
As Blewett controlled the game from the mound, the offense was firing on all cylinders. The Naturals spotted their starter with three runs in the first, two in the second, and another in the third for an early 6-0 lead. Kelvin Gutierrez had a RBI single while Alex Liddi had a two-run single in the first. Then in the second, Jecksson Flores contributed with a run-scoring single before Samir Duenez drove him in with a double to center. Alfredo Escalera then hit a solo homer in the third to cap the early scoring.
The game remained 6-0 until the top of the sixth when the Riders got on the board as Preston Beck drove in Luis Yander La O.
Northwest Arkansas would respond with a run in the home half of the sixth on a RBI groundout by Gutierrez before putting the game away in the eighth. The Naturals offense exploded for five runs in the frame on five hits including a two-run homer by Liddi, which was his team-leading 19th big fly of the season, to start the barrage. Later in the inning, Corey Toups singled home Anderson Miller then Erick Mejia brought in Escalera and Toups with his seventh triple of the season to set the final at 12-1.
Left-hander Taylor Hearn (L, 1-1) took the loss for Frisco as he gave up six runs on nine hits through 4.2 innings. While Hearn got knocked around, the bullpen didn't fare much better as they gave up six more runs on another nine hits in the final 3.1.
Northwest Arkansas will continue their series against the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A Affiliate of the Texas Rangers, tomorrow night - Saturday, August 11 - with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Gates will open at Arvest Ballpark at 4:30 p.m. for Water Bottle Giveaway by Red Vines and Sour Punch and a Bullpen Craft Beer Bar Happy Hour from 4:35 p.m. until 5:35 p.m. The Naturals will send left-hander Foster Griffin (7-12, 5.25 ERA) to the mound in search of his fifth straight win while the RoughRiders will counter with left-hander Yohander Mendez (1-0, 5.09 ERA). Catch all of the live play-by-play action on Saturday night with the Voice of the Naturals Benjamin Kelly on KQSM - 92.1 The Ticket starting at 5:45 p.m. for the Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show leading up to first pitch at 6:05 p.m. against Double-A Texas Rangers from Arvest Ballpark.
Follow the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Facebook and Twitter @NWANaturals all throughout the year by using the hashtag #NaturalPastime and #CrowntoCrown for all of our up-to-date information on the 2018 season of Naturals baseball.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League Affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, Ark. For more information, including statistics, ticket options, and more, please visit NWANaturals.com, and follow us on Twitter @NWANaturals and Facebook.com/Naturals.
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Texas League Stories from August 10, 2018
- Kruczynski and the Cards Blank Hooks, 7-0 - Springfield Cardinals
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- Blewett, Bats Send Naturals to Convincing Win - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
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- Missions Drop Series Opener Despite Racking up a Season-High 17 Strikeouts - San Antonio Missions
- Drillers Win Behind White's Quality Start - Tulsa Drillers
- Naturals Strike Early to Knock off Riders - Frisco RoughRiders
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- Travs Extend Player Development Contract with Seattle - Arkansas Travelers
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- Frisco Series Highlights: August 10 - August 12 - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
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