Naturals Drop Suspended Game While the Growlin' Chickens Walk-Off in the Nightcap
Published on August 9, 2019 under Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release
SPRINGDALE, Ark - Northwest Arkansas (46-68, 15-31) and Tulsa (63-53, 26-21) squared off for a total of 11.5 innings on Friday night as the Naturals dropped the suspended game to the Drillers before the Growlin' Chickens enjoyed a walk-off win in their debut as Nate Esposito sent the crowd of 4,808 home happy by driving in Jordan George for the 4-3 win in the nightcap.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals - 1, Tulsa Drillers - 3 - Thursday, August 8th Suspended Game
Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth to begin their day, Northwest Arkansas would scratch a run across in the home half of the seventh but it would not be enough as Tulsa took the suspended game by a 3-1 final. The Naturals got their lone run when Gabriel Cancel walked and advanced to third on a pair of groundouts before coming into score on a passed ball by Drillers.
The night before, the visitors had broken up a scoreless tie when Chris Parmelee homered off Jackson Kowar in the top of the fourth inning. Tulsa then added two more in the fifth on a double-steal and an Omar Estevez RBI single before the game was ultimately suspended. Kowar (L, 2-5) was strong in defeat as he struck out six in 5.0 innings of three-run baseball against Tulsa.
Reliever Ryan Moseley (W, 3-0) picked up the win for Tulsa with 2.2 innings on Friday afternoon. The right-hander gave up one unearned run and struck out two. Meanwhile, Nolan Long (S, 5) secured the save with 2.1 scoreless frames to end the game.
Northwest Arkansas Growlin' Chickens - 4, Tulsa Drillers - 3 - Friday, August 9th 7-Inning Game
Things looked tough as the Growlin' Chickens were locked in a 3-3 game and tasked with facing Jordan Sheffield (L, 2-2) of the Drillers in the seventh but Jordan George coaxed a one-out walk and advanced to third base on a perfectly executed hit-and-run by Angelo Castellano, which put runners at the corners. With the infield in and runners at second and third, the Drillers pitched around D.J. Burt to load the bases for Nate Esposito. The Naturals' catcher, whom recently returned to the team from a stint in Omaha, singled past the outstretched arm of third baseman Angelo Mora to plate George and the celebration ensued.
Andres Sotillet (W, 6-1) earned his team-leading sixth win of the season with 2.0 scoreless innings of relief of Brady Singer.
Earlier in the contest, the Growlin' Chickens had raced out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning of play. Khalil Lee singled and Gabriel Cancel walked before Emmanuel Rivera drove home the first run of the game with a single. After a fly out moved Cancel to third base, Castellano singled him home to put Northwest Arkansas out in front by the 2-0 advantage.
Singer would settle in and shut down the Drillers over the first 4.0 frames of the game before running into trouble in the fifth. After back-to-back hits by Carlos Rincon and Errol Robinson put runners at first and third, Tulsa would make it a 2-1 game on a RBI groundout by Eric Peterson. Drew Avans would follow with a RBI triple before a wild pitch gave the visitors a 3-2 lead.
Northwest Arkansas would tie the game in the home half of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Burt to setup Esposito's late-heroics.
Singer gave way to Sotillet in the top of the sixth after giving up three runs on four hits and eight strikeouts through 5.0 innings.
Northwest Arkansas will continue their 4-game homestand with Game 3 of this 4-game set against the Tulsa Drillers (Double-A Los Angeles Dodgers) tomorrow night - Saturday, August 10th - as the Northwest Arkansas Growlin' Chickens take the field for the final time in 2019. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. for our Growlin' Chickens Bobblehead giveaway for the first 1,000 fans in attendance and our Bullpen Craft Beer Bar Happy Hour as well as a Rally Towel giveaway by Tyson Foods, Inc. The Growlin' Chickens will send right-hander Gerson Garabito (5-8, 4.08 ERA) to the bump to square off against fellow right-hander Edwin Uceta (4-2, 3.64 ERA) of the Drillers. Catch all of the play-by-play action with the Voice of the Growlin' Chickens Benjamin Kelly on KQSM - 92.1 The Ticket at 5:45 p.m. for the Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show leading up to first pitch from Arvest Ballpark.
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, upcoming promotions, and more, please visit NWANaturals.com, and follow us on Twitter @NWANaturals and Facebook.com/Naturals.
Texas League Stories from August 9, 2019
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- Naturals Drop Suspended Game While the Growlin' Chickens Walk-Off in the Nightcap - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
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