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TL1 Arkansas Travelers

Naturals rout Travs to complete 5-game sweep

June 13, 2009 - Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release


SPRINGDALE, ARK. - The Northwest Naturals won a slugfest against the Arkansas Travelers on Saturday, scoring a season-high 16 runs to win all five games of a three-day series at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale. The Naturals took advantage of eight free passes from the Traveler pitching staff and four errors by the Arkansas defense. Northwest Arkansas punctuated the series sweep by scoring four runs off Traveler infielder Kevin Ramos, who was brought into pitch the eighth inning of the blowout.

Arkansas (23-37) led 3-1 at one point, with Nate Sutton walking and scoring later on a Naturals fielding error in the first inning and Jay Caligiuri and Hainley Statia scoring on a Coby Smith double and Wil Ortiz groundout in the second inning.

Then it was all Northwest Arkansas (32-28) for the next four innings. The Naturals tied the game in the bottom of the first, a leadoff single by Jose Duarte getting things going and a Jordan Parraz RBI-single scoring Duarte. But facing a two-run deficit in the third, the Naturals churned out 11 runs in four innings to take a commanding 12-3 lead.

The third-inning rally started with two outs when Trav starter Michael Anton (L, 1-6) hit Corey Smith with a pitch. After a single and fielding error, Ed Lucas made Arkansas pay with a three-run home run to left field. Lucas would finish with six RBIs, and ended the three-day series 6-for-10 with 11 RBIs.

Northwest Arkansas got more of the same in the fourth inning, with a single and two walks chasing Anton out of the game. He finished with 3.1 innings pitched and seven runs allowed (five earned) on six hits and four walks. Marco Albano relieved Anton, and the first batter he faced reached on an Ortiz throwing error, scoring Chris McConnell and Duarte. Josh Johnson and Parraz scored with Brian McFall hit into a fielder's choice, and Nate Sutton made a throwing error on a potential inning-ending double play that would have negated both runs.

In the fifth inning, the Naturals got an RBI-triple from catcher Jeff Howell, scoring Cody Strait, and then Howell scored on a balk by Albano. In the sixth, Parraz tripled and he and McFall, who reached on a walk, both scored on another extra-base hit by Lucas, a two-RBI double.

Albano pitched through the seventh inning, giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits and a pair of walks, while striking out four. Ramos started the eighth inning and got two of the eight batters he faced out on fly balls, but after allowing four runs on two walks and three hits, two for extra bases, Arkansas replaced him with designated hitter Caligiuri, who got Parraz to pop out in foul territory.

The Travelers did get a rally going in the eighth inning, scoring three runs to cut the margin to 12-6 before the Naturals tacked on more runs in their final at-bat. Four straight singles to lead off the eighth scored Branden Florence, then Caligiuri scored on an Ortiz groundout, and a Sutton sacrificed play drove in Statia, who finished 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Sutton saw his hit streak end at 15 games, even though he walked twice and had a sacrifice in five plate appearances.

Blake Johnson (W, 4-5) got the win for Northwest Arkansas, tossing 5.1 innings and giving up 10 hits and three runs (two earned), while striking out two and walking two more. Carlos Sencion earned his first save by getting the final 11 outs of the game, allowing six hits and three runs.

Even though Traveler hitters collected 16 hits, walked four times and benefited from two Northwest Arkansas errors, the Travs grounded into three double plays and left 12 men on base after going 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position.

Attendance was 5,959 for a game that lasted 3:24.

Arkansas returns to Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock for eight games against the Springfield Cardinals and Tulsa Drillers. First pitch Sunday is set for 6 p.m., and the first 800 adults will receive free Los Angeles Angels salsa bowls, courtesy of State Farm Insurance.

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