TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Naturals win wild one over Midland

Published on June 6, 2010 under Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


SPRINGDALE, AR- Down 7-1 in the fourth inning, the Naturals exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the fourth and six more in the seventh and eighth to win a wild affair with the Midland RockHounds by a 14-9 final.

Midland jumped out of the gate fast by scoring five runs in the top of the first inning off of Naturals' starter Aaron Crow. J.C. Holt singled to lead off the game and Archie Gilbert followed with a walk. Alex Valdez singled to right and brought home Holt and Gilbert for the first two runs of the game. Valdez was thrown out at second, but Midland gained a base runner when Crow walked Jeff Baisley. Corey Brown then singled through the middle, and Val Majewski then doubled, which brought Baisley home. With two outs in the inning, Matt Sulentic doubled down the left field line, which scored both Brown and Majewski, as Midland jumped out to the 5-0 lead.

That chase Crow, who was lifted after recording just two outs. He was charged with five runs off five hits. Everett Teaford was brought in and he fanned Gabe Ortiz to end the inning.

Ernesto Mejia's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh cut the Midland lead to 5-1, but the RockHounds responded in the top of the fourth with two more runs. With two outs, Baisley doubled to right field. Corey Brown then followed with a two run homer over the right field wall. The shot was Brown's third of the season, and extended Midland's lead to 7-2.

The Naturals did not lie down, as they roared back and took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Clint Robinson led the fourth off with a single up the middle. After Manny Pina walked, Mejia singled to left-center, and Clint Robinson was able to score. With one out in the inning, Anthony Seratelli singled to load the bases. Chris McConnell then brought everyone home with a triple to left, cutting Midland' s lead to 7-5. A wild pitch then brought McConnell home, getting the Naturals within a run. Derrick Robinson then reached base on a bunt single, and was able to advance to second on another Midland wild pitch. After Johnny Giavotella reached base on a walk, Mike Moustakas then singled up the middle to drive in Robinson. With the game now tied, Clint Robinson batted for the second time in the inning, and singled to left. The base hit brought Giavotella home, and gave the Naturals the 8-7 lead.

Now down one, Midland tied the game up in the sixth inning. Jeff Baisley crushed the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for the solo home run. The shot was Baisley's second homer of the season, and knotted the game up at 8-8.

The game remained tied until the Naturals broke loose in the bottom of the seventh. Ernesto Mejia once again reached base this time on a lead off walk. Tim Smith then replaced Mejia as a pinch runner. Paulo Orlando followed with a base hit up the middle, which put runners on the corners. Smith was then able to come home, as Midland commited an error on a pick off throw. Seratelli then brought Oralndo home with a triple to left center. Seratelli was not on base long, as he was brought home on a sacrifice fly by McConnell. Then runs pushed the Naturals to an 11-8 lead.

The RockHounds (25-29) looked as though they were going to get back into the game in the eighth inning. Valdez got the inning going with a base hit to center field. Brown then hit into a force out, with Valdez being thrown out at second. With two outs, Majewski doubled to left field, and scored Brown. Majewski tried to leg out a triple, but was called out at third for the final out of the frame. RockHounds skipper Darren Bush was ejected by third base umpire Brett Robson for arguing the call.

The Naturals plated three more runs in the bottom of the eighth to give themselves some insurance. Pinch runner Jeff Howell scored when Anthony Seratelli was ruled safe at first by first base umpire Stu Scheurwater on what would have been the final out of the frame. With the inning continuing McConnell brought two more runs home with a single that put Northwest Arkansas (31-22) up for good.

Louis Coleman (2-0), who pitched an efficient 4 1/3 innings in relief, earned the victory while Justin Friend (1-1), who was charged for six runs (three earned) in the seventh and eighth innings, was saddled with the loss.

Sunday's 6:00 P.M. start will feature a match-up between the Naturals' Blake Johnson (0-0, 6.14) and Midland's Anthony Capra (4-6, 4.18). Johnson makes his first start since rejoining the Naturals after a brief stint in Omaha. Johnson made an appearance out the Naturals' bullpen back in Midland. He pitched two innings, gave up one earned run, and struck out two. Capra is on a little roll right now, as he has won back-to-back starts, including a win over the Naturals. In that start, Capra pitched five shutout innings, allowed two this, and struck out eight.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. The Naturals have a toll-free ticket hotline (1-877-444-2637) for fans to purchase Naturals tickets. Our website, nwanaturals.com offers fans the opportunity to purchase tickets online and avoid lines at the ticket windows by printing their tickets at home or at the office.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics

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Texas League Stories from June 6, 2010


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