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TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Naturals Complete Three Game Sweep of RockHounds

April 12, 2016 - Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


SPRINGDALE, Ark - The Northwest Arkansas Naturals (3-3) defeated the Midland RockHounds (2-4) on Tuesday night at Arvest Ballpark by the score of 9-2 to complete the three game sweep of the two-time defending Texas League Champions. The sweep was the first for the Naturals over the Hounds since the 2013 season and just the second in franchise history.

Naturals' starter Alec Mills (1-1, 0.82) was dominant in his second start for Northwest Arkansas as he went 6.0 scoreless innings of two hit baseball. The Royals No. 12 prospect according to Baseball America struck out nine batters on the night including five in a row at one point in the game through the third and the fourth frames. The young right-hander now has 16 strikeouts in only 11 innings pitched to start the 2016 season and his career with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

The Naturals offense provided plenty of run support early in the finale. Ramon Torres led off the game in the home half of the first with a single. Torres would steal second before Bubba Starling reached on a walk. Orlando Calixte would load the bases with a walk of his own against Midland starter Chris Jensen (1-1, 5.40) before Zane Evans delivered a two run double to the right field wall to put Northwest Arkansas in front 2-0. Before the inning concluded, Naturals' first baseman Frank Schwindel would add to the total with a two out, two run single to left to extend the early lead to 4-0 over the RockHounds.

The Naturals would go on to add two more runs in the second inning courtesy of a costly error by Hounds' shortstop Franklin Barreto. With two outs and runners at second and third, Calixte would hit a hard chopper towards Barreto at short that would bounce off the top of his glove and score Raul Mondesi and Bubba Starling to make it 6-0. Northwest Arkansas would tack on another in the third as Schwindel hit a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left for a solo home run and a commanding 7-0 lead.

Midland would cut the lead to 7-2 in the seventh but the Naturals would stretch the lead back out with a run of their own in the bottom half of the seventh and then another run in the bottom of the eighth off a solo home run by Carlos Garcia to set the final score at 9-2. In the last three games, the Naturals offense has scored 30 runs on 36 hits including eight home runs.

Tonight concluded the Naturals first homestand of the year. Northwest Arkansas will hit the road for the first time this season with three games in Frisco from Thursday, April 14 through Saturday, April 16 and then another three games against the Midland RockHounds from Sunday, April 17 through Tuesday, April 19. The Naturals will then return to Arvest Ballpark for a four game series against the Tulsa Drillers beginning on Thursday, April 21 with first pitch at 7:05 p.m.

Northwest Arkansas will send LHP Matt Strahm (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the hill in the series opener at Frisco while the RoughRiders will counter with LHP Frank Lopez (1-0, 0.00). You can catch all the live play-by-play action with the Voice of the Naturals Benjamin Kelly on your home for Naturals baseball on AM 1590 - The Ticket 2 at 6:50 p.m. for the Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show leading up to first pitch at 7:05 p.m. at Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas on Thursday, April 14.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics



Texas League Stories from April 12, 2016


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