TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Naturals Earn First Shutout of the Season in 3-0 Win

Published on May 7, 2016 under Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. "" Great pitching, strong defense and timely hitting served as the ingredients for the Northwest Arkansas (14-14) as the Naturals cooked a shutout over the Arkansas Travelers (12-17), 3-0 on Saturday night at Dickey-Stephens Park.

Right-hander, Christian Binford (3-2, 4.84) set the tone for the third straight start. The 23-year old hurler twirled 7.1-innings of shutout baseball, while scattering five hits and fanning a season-high eight hitters to win his third game in the last four starts. Binford did not allow a man to reach third base all night in his most recent dominating performance.

Relying upon his command and secondary pitches, Binford baffled the Travelers' batters through the enterity of his start. Arkansas' lone true threat against the right-hander came with Cal Towey's one-out double that fell on a diving attempt by left-fielder Terrance Gore in the fourth inning.

Binford wasn't phase as his defense dazzled behind him all night long. Ramon Torres raced down a dying fly-ball off the bat of the following batter, Andrew Daniel, and made a Willie Mays-esque catch to record the second out. Torres turned around and to his delight, saw Towey had advanced too far from second and promptly doubled him off to end the threat.

Northwest Arkansas' bat aided the effort of Binford with the first run coming in the fifth inning. After Bubba Starling led off the top of the fifth frame with the first of his two doubles on the night, he advanced in the third on an infield single by Mauricio Ramos to put runners at first and third base with no outs. Frank Schwindel socked a deep fly ball to left-centerfield, only to see it be tracked down by Bo Way near the deeper ally of the ballpark, to score Starling from third.

The Naturals added two more runs in the top of the sixth. Orlando Calixte singled with two outs off Travelers' starter, Tyler Carpenter (0-1, 4.76) and immediately swiped second base. Starling came through with a two-out, two-strike double to plate Calixte, and scored five pitches later on a two-out, two-strike single by Ramos, making it a 3-0 lead.

Binford stayed true to form retiring the final six batters and nine of the last ten through seven innings before allowed two soft singles with one out in the 8th. Manager Vance Wilson lifted his starter from the game, still with a chance for him to win and called upon left-hander, Eric Stout.

Binford's final line read 7.1 innings, five hits, zero runs, two walks and a season-high eight strikeouts on the night.

Stout got pinch-hitter, Jabari Henry to fly out on two pitches and the anxious, Chad Hinshaw, to fly out to right to subside the threat in the eighth.

Stout worked a perfect ninth inning to earn his first save of the season.

Starling finished the night 2-for-3, with a walk, two doubles and a run batted in giving him 13 total on the season. Calixte extended his hitting streak to six games this evening going 1-for-4 with a run scored at the plate while Ramos finished 2-for-4, tabbing his ninth multi-hit game of the season.

Catcher, Cam Gallagher, called a terrific game behind the plate and finished 2-for-4 at the plate.

The win puts the Naturals back to a .500-record for the first time since April 12 as the club garnered its fifth straight road win on the season.

The series continues with a Mother's Day matinee on Sunday, May 8 at Dickey-Stephens Park with a 2:10 p.m. first pitch. Right-hander Jake Junis (1-2, 5.47) takes the hill for the Naturals while right-hander, Blayne Weller (1-3, 2.96) counters for the Travelers.

Join the Voice of the Naturals, Benjamin Kelly, for a 1:50 p.m. Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show leading up to first pitch on AM-1590, the Ticket-2.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics

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Texas League Stories from May 7, 2016


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