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TL Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Naturals Two-Hit Wind Surge and Vault into First Place with Third Straight Win

July 9, 2021 - Texas League (TL)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


Three Northwest Arkansas Naturals pitchers combined to two-hit the Wichita Wind Surge, supported by a six-run first inning and three homers from the offense, for a 10-1 victory on Thursday night. It was the club's third straight victory and moved the Naturals into a first place tie in the Double-A Central North Division for the first time since the first week of the season.

Northwest Arkansas knocked out Wichita's starter after just one inning of work, sending 11 batters to the plate in the first, scoring six runs on five hits and a pair of walks. Clay Dungan, who went 4-for-5, both started and punctuated the rally.

Dungan led off the first inning with a double, later scoring and then drove in the sixth and final run of the inning with an RBI single. The Naturals' second baseman also added singles in the fourth and sixth, stealing a base as well.

Bobby Witt Jr. (MLB Pipeline's No. 7 prospect in baseball), Dairon Blanco, Brewer Hicklen (MLB Pipeline's No. 24 Royals' prospect) and Freddy Fermin each recorded two-hit nights as well. Blanco and Fermin each drove in two runs in the first, with a single and double respectively.

After an explosive start to the game, the bats went quiet until the seventh, when MJ Melendez (MLB Pipeline's No. 13 Royals' prospect) led off the inning with his Double-A-best 16th home run of the season, the first of three Naturals home runs.

Blanco led off the ninth with a home run as well, a 450-foot blast to left field that was followed up four batters later with a two-run shot off the bat of Brhet Bewley to end the night's scoring. For Blanco, it was his sixth of the season; for Bewley, his fourth.

All nine Naturals in the batting order reached base, eight recorded hits and eight scored runs as well in the winning effort.

Melendez, Fermin and Bewley each drove in two runs, while Blanco knocked in three for the second time this week and third time in his last nine games.

While the offense lit up the scoreboard, the pitching staff dominated as well. Jonathan Heasley (MLB Pipeline's No. 12 Royals' prospect), Derrick Adams and Josh Dye combined to two-hit the Wind Surge, who didn't record a hit after the fourth inning.

Heasley worked 4.1 innings of one-run baseball while striking out six before turning the game over to the two lefty relievers. Adams struck out one across 2.2 scoreless and hitless innings, facing the minimum in his outing.

Dye fired the final two innings, striking out four while not allowing a hit or run, facing just one over the minimum.

For Dye's efforts, he earned his second win of the season, improving to 2-0 this year.

The Naturals (30-25) are now a season-best five games above .500 and sit in a tie for first place with the Wind Surge (31-26) in the Double-A Central North Division and a half game ahead of Tulsa. Northwest Arkansas looks to take sole possession of first for the first time all season on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. in the fourth game of this six-game series in Wichita.

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