Naturals' 16 Strikeouts Not Enough in 7-1 Loss Saturday
April 12, 2025 - Texas League (TL)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release
SPRINGDALE, AR - The Northwest Arkansas Naturals (4-4) dropped their fourth-consecutive contest against the Frisco RoughRiders (6-2) at Arvest Ballpark by a final score of 7-1 on Saturday night. The two teams will meet for tomorrow's series finale with a 2:05 PM CT first pitch on NWA's Family Sunday.
After Frisco jumped ahead early with back-to-back hits in the first inning, to take a 1-0 lead. Naturals starter Ben Kudrna settled in. The Kansas City Royals' No. 4 prospect struck out two to end the first and struck out the side in the second. Kudrna carried that momentum through 4.2 innings of work, allowing just two earned runs while racking up 10 strikeouts to match a career high.
The Naturals cut the early deficit in half during the bottom of the third. Brett Squires roped a double to left, and Peyton Wilson drove him in with an RBI double of his own, making it a 2-1 ballgame.
Frisco tacked on runs in the sixth and seventh, including a two-run homer and a solo shot, to widen the gap. However, reliever Brandon Johnson delivered a key moment in the seventh, entering from the bullpen with the bases loaded and no outs. He proceeded to guide the Naturals out of the jam by retiring the next three hitters in order, two by strikeout, without allowing a run to score.
Frisco added two more in the eighth to cap the night's scoring. Ryan Hendrix struck out the side in the top of the ninth leaving the Naturals staff with 16 punchouts on the day. The RoughRiders have taken four of the first five games of the six-game set in Springdale.
The Naturals and RoughRiders wrap up the series on Sunday afternoon with a 2:05 PM CT first pitch. Right-hander Henry Williams (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will make his second start of the season. Fans can follow along with the "Voice of the Naturals," Shawn Murnin, on MiLB.TV, MLB.TV, the MiLB App, the MLB App, and nwanaturals.com with a subscription. Free audio is available through the MiLB App and team website, and fans can also watch for free on the Bally Sports Live app.
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