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TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Naturals Hooked in Series Opener, 5-2

July 1, 2018 - Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


SPRINGDALE, Ark - Despite outfielder Elier Hernandez breaking out of his recent slump, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (2-6, 37-41) were unable to muster another comeback on Sunday as they fall to the Corpus Christi Hooks (7-3, 50-29) by a 5-2 final.

Hernandez, the Naturals' right fielder, came into the game 0-for-his-last-26 but broke out on Sunday afternoon. He collected his first hit as well as his first extra-base hit, a double in the eighth, since June 17 during his 3-for-4 day. The outfielder remains one of the Naturals top hitters over the course of the season as he leads the team in doubles (19) and RBIs (44) while hitting .284.

Corpus Christi jumped out in front on Sunday afternoon in the second as Josh Rojas hit a solo home run to right for a 1-0 lead. The Hooks would add another run in the second on a RBI single by Yordan Alvarez before extending their advantage to 3-0 in the fourth on a home run to right field by Andy Pineda, whom came into the game for Carmen Benedetti, in the second inning.

The reigning first-half Texas League South Division Champions would add onto their lead again in the sixth as Pineda continued his big night at the plate. The defensive substitution homered for the second time, this time a two-run shot, for a 5-0 lead.

The Naturals would get on the board in the sixth with a couple of runs. Xavier Fernandez got the offense going with a one-out single to left-center field before advancing to third on a single by Jecksson Flores. Fernandez would score as the next batter, Nick Dini, reached on a force attempt, fielding error by Corpus Christi. Hernandez followed with a RBI single to plate Flores but that would be all of the runs the Naturals' offense would be able to produce against the Hooks as they'd fall by the 5-2 final.

Flores has been the hottest hitter of late for Northwest Arkansas as he has now hit safely in 12 straight and 27-of-his-last-28 games. The Naturals' utility-man is now batting .330 on the year, which is good for second best in the Texas League.

For the first time this season, Naturals' starter Emilio Ogando (L, 4-5) worked at least 5.0 frames without earning a victory as the left-hander gave up five runs on 10 hits and struck out six in 5.1 innings of work. Ogando had been 4-0 on the year when pitching through the fifth to go along with a 2.05 ERA in those starts where he only allowed five earned runs in 22.0 innings.

Hooks' starter Corbin Martin (W, 5-1) was impressive as he struck out five through 6.0 innings of one-run baseball. The righty took a no-hitter into the fourth before Hernandez broke it up with an infield single to deep short.

Alex Winkelman (S, 2) worked the final 2.0 innings of the game for Corpus Christi to earn his second save.

Northwest Arkansas will continue their series against the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A Affiliate of the World Champion Houston Astros, with Game 2 of this 3-game set tomorrow night - Monday, July 2 - with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Gates will open at 5 p.m. for a Bullpen Craft Beer Bar Happy Hour from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. and the night will conclude with a Post-Game Fireworks Spectacular presented by Ozarks Electric. The Naturals will turn to RHP Scott Blewett (4-4, 5.70 ERA) while the Hooks will counter with LHP Ryan Hartman (6-2, 3.09 ERA). Catch all of the live play-by-play action with the Voice of the Naturals Benjamin Kelly on KQSM - 92.1 The Ticket starting at 6:15 p.m. for the Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show.

Follow the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Facebook and Twitter @NWANaturals all throughout the year by using the hashtag #NaturalPastime and #CrowntoCrown for all of our up-to-date information on the 2018 season of Naturals baseball.

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.

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Texas League Stories from July 1, 2018


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