Fields, Naturals Down Travs in Opener
Published on June 8, 2013 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release
Springdale, AR-- Saturday night at Arvest Ballpark the Northwest Arkansas Naturals topped the Arkansas Travelers, 6-3. The Naturals tallied 14 hits in the opening game, 11 of which came against Arkansas starting pitcher Manny Correa. Matt Fields hit home runs in consecutive at bats in the fourth and fifth innings to help spark the Naturals offensively. The Naturals bullpen combined to pitch three shutout innings. Since Springfield lost in Tulsa, the Travs remain in first place in the North Division by one game with ten games to play in the first half.
Both sides exchanged zeroes through the first three innings. Travs RH Manny Correa stranded three base runners on four hits in his first three innings, while Aaron Brooks made his Double-A debut for the Naturals and scattered three hits over his first three frames of work.
In the fourth inning both teams got onto the scoreboard by plating a single run. Arkansas started their half of the fourth with two singles by Robbie Widlansky and Randal Grichuk. After a sacrifice bunt by Kaleb Cowart advanced both runners, Travis Witherspoon lofted a sacrifice fly to left field that was deep enough to bring home Widlansky. Brooks pitched away from any further trouble by immediately retiring Ryan Jones on a fly out to center to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Naturals evened the score on a lead off home run by Matt Fields off of Correa. The home run for Fields marked his 13th of the season. Correa proceeded to allow a single to Yem Prades, and then with one out he walked Angel Franco to put two runners on base. That brought Roman Hernandez to the plate. With the runners moving on the pitch, Hernandez hit a liner to shortstop that was snared by Rolando Gomez. Gomez flipped to second baseman Taylor Lindsey to double off Prades to end the inning.
Arkansas untied the game in the next half inning. After Brooks retired Jett Bandy with a fly out to right field for the first out, Gomez reached on an infield single to shortstop. Gomes moved up to second with two outs on a ground out to the mound by Lindsey, and then scored on a two-out single by C.J. Cron to left. The RBI for Cron was his 32nd of the season.
However, the Naturals answered right back in the bottom of the fifth inning. Brett Eibner singled with one out, and Brian Fletcher singled with two outs to bring Fields up for the second time in as many innings. Once again Fields took Correa out over the left field fence, this time for his 14th home run of the season. The three-run home gave the Naturals their first lead of the night, 4-2.
The Travs cut the deficit in half almost immediately in the top of the sixth inning. Grichuk started the inning against Brooks, and tripled to the base of the wall in left-center. Cowart followed by driving home Grichuk on a sacrifice fly to deep right field, and the Travs cut the Naturals lead to 4-3.
Correa pitched a scoreless sixth inning for Arkansas, which ended a string of five-straight half innings that the offensive team had scored. Arkansas remained down a run after six, 4-3.
Northwest Arkansas turned to their bullpen to start the seventh inning. Aaron Brooks turned in six innings and allowed three runs on eight hits during his Double-A debut. Santiago Garrido was the first reliever in the game for the Naturals, and retired six straight Arkansas batters in the seventh and eighth innings to protect the Naturals lead.
With the Travs bullpen short-handed from a 16-inning game last night, and Manny Correa at only 83 pitches, Correa returned to pitch the last of the seventh. However, Correa found trouble and allowed singles to Alex McClure and Brett Eibner to start the inning. After a sacrifice bunt by Navarro, Correa was lifted from the game in favor of RH Elvin Ramirez.
The first man to face Ramirez was Fletcher. Fletcher hit Ramirez's 1-1 offering in the air to deep right. The ball was caught by Girchuk, but on the play McClure came home from third to give Fletcher a sacrifice fly. The RBI for Fletcher was his eighth in eight games, and extended the Naturals lead to 5-3. Travs LF Ryan Jones helped Ramirez strand the other inherited runner when he made a diving catch to rob Matt Fields of extra bases to end the inning.
Northwest Arkansas added an insurance run against Elvin Ramirez in the eighth inning. Mitch Canham and Roman Hernandez singled, and with two outs the ninth-place hitter Alex McClure hit an RBI-double.
Zach Jackson entered the game in the ninth inning to relieve Garrido. Jackson allowed a single to Travis Witherspoon with one out, but forced pinch-hitter Jimmy Swift into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play. The save for Jackson was hit first at Northwest Arkansas.
All nine starting position players for the Naturals recorded at least one hit in the game. Matt Fields led Northwest Arkansas by going 3-for-4 with two home runs and four runs batted it.
Manny Correa received the loss for Arkansas and fell to 3-6. Aaron Brooks earned his first win in as many starts with the Naturals.
The Travs and Naturals play the second game of their series on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. Coverage of the game begins with the Travs Dugout Show at 5:40 p.m. on Sports Animal 920.
Texas League Stories from June 8, 2013
- Gustafson, Drillers Top Cardinals - Tulsa Drillers
- Hooks Shutdown Missions 5-1 in Series Opener - San Antonio Missions
- Fields, Naturals Down Travs in Opener - Arkansas Travelers
- Fields Powers Naturals to Victory - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Hounds Shutout in Corpus Christi - Midland RockHounds
- Cardinals Walk off in 16th, 7-6, Before 6,994 Fans - Springfield Cardinals
- Cards Walk Past Travs in 16 - Arkansas Travelers
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