Cross Homers in 13-10 Loss on Thursday

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TL Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Cross Homers in 13-10 Loss on Thursday

May 16, 2025 - Texas League (TL)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


TULSA, OKLAHOMA - Gavin Cross launched his fourth home run of the season in the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (19-17) 13-10 loss to the Tulsa Drillers (16-20) at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Thursday. The two teams continue their six-game series on Friday with a 7:00 PM CT first pitch.

The Naturals got on the board in the first, plating three runs against Drillers starter Jacob Meador. Javier Vaz reached to lead off the game on an error and stole second base. With one out, Jac Caglianone doubled down the line in right field and Vaz scored to make it a 1-0 game. Two hitters later, Cross took Meador deep to plate a pair of runs and make it a 3-0 Nats lead.

The Drillers tied the game in the bottom of the first against Naturals starter Henry Williams, but NWA responded in the second. Rudy Martin led off the frame with a walk and stole second and third base. Vaz hit a ground ball to second, plating Martin to give Northwest Arkansas a 4-3 lead. Caglianone took a walk with two outs and scored from first when Spencer Nivens doubled to left, making it a 5-3 game.

Tulsa took the lead back in the bottom of the second with a three-run homer from Damon Keith that gave Drillers a 6-5 advantage, capping the scoring in the first two innings of the game that took nearly an hour to complete.

The Naturals took the lead again in the third after Sam Ruta tied the game with an RBI double to left. He scored after a wild pitch sent him to third and Vaz singled to left, making it a 7-6 game. The back-and-forth continued in the bottom of the third when the Drillers got a second home run out of Damon Keith as part of a five-run inning to put Tulsa on top, 11-7.

Cross drove in another run in the fourth on a ground ball, and Vaz scored again in the seventh to make it a two-run game, 11-9. Tulsa added a pair of runs in the eighth and while NWA scored in the ninth, the effort fell short in the 13-10 loss.

The Naturals and Drillers continue their series Friday at ONEOK Field with a 7:00 PM CT first pitch. Fans can follow the action with the "Voice of the Naturals," Shawn Murnin, on MiLB.TV, MLB.TV, the MiLB and MLB Apps, and nwanaturals.com with a subscription. Free audio is available through the MiLB App and team website, and fans can also stream for free on the Bally Sports Live app.

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