TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Naturals Defeat Cardinals Behind Bonifacio

Published on August 26, 2015 under Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


SPRINGDALE, AR - The Naturals looked to Jorge Bonifacio to come through in a big spot as the bases sat loaded with two outs in a tie game in the seventh. The three-hole hitter delivered as he drove a 1-1 pitch back up the middle for a two-run single to give his team a 5-3 lead as Northwest Arkansas (23-34, 63-64) went on to defeat the Springfield Cardinals (27-31, 57-71) on Wednesday night.

The Naturals offense broke open the 3-3 tie by starting the rally in the seventh with back-to-back singles by Parker Morin and Terrance Gore. Bubba Starling worked a two out walk to set the stage for Bonifacio. The Royals' No. 9 overall prospect entering the season according to Baseball America roped a single off Kurt Heyer, his third hit of the game, to plate the game-winning runs.

The Naturals jumped on the board early in Wednesday night's contest with a run in the first inning. Ramon Torres worked a four pitch, leadoff walk to put a runner on base for Bubba Starling. Coming off a 0-for-4 night on Tuesday, Starling ripped a 1-2 pitch down the left field line for a RBI double, his 18th two bagger of the year, which gave Northwest Arkansas an early 1-0 advantage over Springfield.

The Cardinals bats awoke though in the top of the third. With one out in the frame, Mike O'Neill singled up the middle. The next batter, Bruce Caldwell, connected on a 2-1 pitch and launched a two-run home run to right field to make it a 2-1 game in favor of Springfield.

Last night's hero, Frank Schwindel worked a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Naturals trailed 2-1. A Parker Morin groundout moved him to second base with one out. An out later, Ramon Torres stepped to the plate and drilled a RBI triple to center field scoring Schwindel and then came around to score on a throwing error by the Cardinals second baseman. The two-run play gave Northwest Arkansas a 3-2 lead; however, the Cardinals would respond with a run of their own to tie the game at 3 in the sixth.

RHP Luke Farrell, the starter for Northwest Arkansas, was solid as he went 5.0 innings giving up only two earned runs on five hits but did not factor in the decision. The tall right-hander has been great all August for the Naturals as he's posted a 1.82 ERA in four previous starts during the month with 16 strikeouts in 24.2 innings of work while walking just eight batters and recording three quality starts. Reliever Matt Murray (6-3) earns the win in tonight's game while Mark Peterson (S, 2) records his second save of the season.

Northwest Arkansas and the Springfield Cardinals, the Double-A Affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, will meet in Game 3 of this 4-game series scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Arvest Ballpark for our final Buck Night on Thirsty Thursday of the 2015 regular season.

The Naturals starting pitcher on Thursday night is currently TBA while the Springfield Cardinals will send LHP Jimmy Reed (2-3, 4.37 ERA) of to the mound in Game 3. Tune in with the Voice of the Naturals, Benjamin Kelly, at 6:50 p.m. for the Indigo Sky Casino Pre-Game Show leading up to the 7:05 p.m. first pitch at Arvest Ballpark on the Naturals' flagship station KQSM 92.1 - FM, the Ticket.

Follow the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Twitter @nwanaturals all throughout the year by using the hashtag #NaturalPastime for all of our up-to-date information on the Texas League playoffs, tickets, groups, promotions, roster, team news, and 2016 information.

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.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics

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Texas League Stories from August 26, 2015


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