TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Naturals Secure Series with Win over Cardinals

August 25, 2018 - Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


SPRINGDALE, Ark - Northwest Arkansas continues to win as the Naturals (29-30, 64-65) defeated the Springfield Cardinals (24-35, 57-72) on Friday night by a 9-3 final to claim their sixth consecutive series at Arvest Ballpark in front of a crowd of 6,694. The victory combined with the Tulsa Drillers win in North Little Rock keeps the Naturals 4.5 games out of first with 11 to go.

Springfield struck first in the finale with a run in the second as the Cardinals loaded the bases with no one out; however, Naturals' starter Foster Griffin was up to the task as he got Jeremy Martinez to ground into a double play and Victor Roache to fly out to center field to end the threat by only allowing the lone run. The momentum of the escape carried over to the offense as the Naturals exploded for three runs in the home half of the frame. Xavier Fernandez had a RBI triple to center and then scored on a run-scoring single by Kort Peterson. Samir Duenez eventually capped the inning with a RBI double for a 3-1 lead.

The Cardinals would quickly respond with a run in the top of the third on a RBI single by Andy Young to cut the deficit to 3-2.

The game remained 3-2 into the middle innings before the Naturals added some cushion with a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth. In the fifth, Fernandez continued his big night with a solo home run while Duenez hit a two-run shot in the sixth.

In the seventh is when Northwest Arkansas put the game away. Fernandez picked up his third hit of the night, a single to left-center, and moved to second on a walk by Corey Toups. Then with two-outs, Nick Heath tripled down the left field line to plate the pair before ultimately coming into score on a RBI single by Jecksson Flores to complete the scoring the Naturals' 9-3 victory.

Griffin (W, 10-12) continues to be a force for Northwest Arkansas on the mound. The big left-hander didn't have his 'A' stuff but still picked up his seventh consecutive decision after limiting the Cardinals to three runs on 11 hits through 6.0 innings of work.

A trio of Naturals relievers then shut the door on any hope that the visitors had of a comeback as Gabe Speier (H, 6), Yunior Marte, and Luis Lugo combined for 3.0 scoreless innings while striking out two to secure the series win over the Cardinals.

Northwest Arkansas pounded out 14 hits on the night with Fernandez and Duenez leading the way. Duenez had a four-hit night while Fernandez came a double short of hitting for the cycle and was robbed of it by running grab in right during his last at-bat.

Northwest Arkansas will hit the road for the final time of 2018 as they'll head out on an eight-game in seven day trip to North Little Rock and Tulsa tomorrow morning. The Naturals will take on the Arkansas Travelers (Double-A Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners) down at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock from Saturday, August 25 through Monday, August 27 before traveling to Tulsa for a crucial 5-game series to close out the road slate as Northwest Arkansas will square off against the Double-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, August 28 through Friday, August 31 with a doubleheader set for Wednesday night.

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.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics



Texas League Stories from August 25, 2018


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