Naturals Hold off Cards for 3-1 Win
July 11, 2014 - Texas League (TL1)
Springfield Cardinals News Release
Springfield, MO - The Northwest Arkansas Naturals held off the Springfield Cardinals for the 3-1 win before 4,408 fans at Hammons Field on Friday night.
Cardinals LHP Kyle Hald (L, 7-3) and Naturals RHP Jason Adam (W, 4-8) battled back and forth through the first four scoreless frames of their duel, before Northwest Arkansas (11-10, 36-55) scratched across the first run of the game in the top of the fifth.
DH Max Ramirez sparked the Nats bats with a leadoff double to start the fifth, before scurrying to third on a wild pitch. Hald dug in with a grounder to short and a liner to short, both handled by SS Alex Mejia for the first two outs of the inning. However, CF Justin Trapp struck with an RBI single to plate Ramirez and lift the Naturals into the 1-0 lead.
Hald kept Northwest Arkansas at only the one run through the rest of his seven innings, but Adam countered with seven scoreless innings of his own to keep the narrow Naturals lead intact.
Northwest Arkansas padded the lead in the top of the eighth inning, striking with two outs against RHP Ronnie Shaban. After Shaban had retired the frame's first two batters, 3B Hunter Dozier extended the inning with a walk. DH Max Ramirez then struck with a two-run homer to right-center, increasing the advantage to 3-0.
The Cardinals (8-13, 42-49) refused to go down quietly, attempting a rally in the bottom of the eighth inning against LHP Scott Alexander. CF James Ramsey started the inning with a single, one of his three hits on the night. After a strikeout, 1B Curt Smith and DH Jonathan Rodriguez ripped back-to-back singles to load the bases. RF Rafael Ortega then laced an RBI base hit to left, bringing in Ramsey to bring the Cardinals within two tallies of tying it. Alexander, though, escaped further damage with a strikeout and a flyout, keeping the Naturals ahead, 3-1.
After Cardinals LHP Iden Nazario tossed a scoreless top of the ninth in his Springfield season debut, RHP Andrew Triggs (S, 13) closed the door with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, wrapping the Naturals 3-1 win.
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