TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Northwest Arkansas Splits Doubleheader against Travelers

Published on June 16, 2015 under Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


SPRINGDALE, Ark. - Northwest Arkansas (38-26) played a doubleheader against the Arkansas Travelers (32-31) on Tuesday due to the postponement last night. Northwest Arkansas took Game 1 by the score of 5-1 while Arkansas won Game 2 by the score of 8-1.

Game 1 Final: Northwest Arkansas - 5 Arkansas - 1

The Naturals struck first in the bottom half of the third inning when Parker Morin launched his first home run of the season off of the railing in right center field to give Northwest Arkansas an early 1-0 lead.

The Naturals displayed their power again in their half of the sixth inning as Balbino Fuenmayor extended the lead to 3-0 with a two run home run of his own, his 11th of the season, off a 0-1 pitch that cleared the wall in left center field. Hunter Dozier followed Fuenmayor's homer with a one out double to the center field wall to set the stage for Mike Bianucci. Bianucci followed with a two out, two run home run into the Bud Light Bullpen Café in left, his team-leading 12th home run of the season, to stretch the Naturals lead to 5-0.

RHP Christian Binford (1-2 5.79 ERA) got the win for the Naturals with his best start to date in Northwest Arkansas. Binford worked five shutout innings while only giving up one hit and four walks while striking out three. RHP Malcom Culver (3.90 ERA) earned the save, his fifth of the season, in two innings of relief while RHP Albert Suarez (6-5 3.20 ERA) received the loss for the Travelers.

Game 2 Final: Arkansas Travelers - 8 Northwest Arkansas - 1

The Travelers jumped on board first in the top half of the first inning when Sherman Johnson led off the game of with a solo home run on a 2-0 pitch, his fourth on the season, into the Naturals' bullpen to give Arkansas an early 1-0 lead.

The Naturals would respond in the bottom half of the second inning when Zane Evans smacked his fourth home run of the season to tie the game 1-1. The Travelers would retake the lead in the third inning as they pushed a crossed seven runs to make it an 8-1 game. Wade Hinkle would deliver the biggest blow in the frame with a 3-run home run onto the Jack Link's Jerky Grass Berm in right.

RHP Luke Farrell (1-2 5.18 ERA) took the loss for the Naturals, and RHP Chris Ellis (1-0 0.75 ERA) got the win for the Travelers.

The Naturals are now 11-1 on the year against their in-state rivals from North Little Rock; however, Northwest Arkansas won the series and lowered the magic number to two as they seek the first half North Division title and their first playoff bid since the 2011 season.

The Naturals will head out on an 8-game road trip tomorrow beginning with four (4) games against the Springfield Cardinals and four (4) games against the Travelers before returning to Arvest Ballpark on Thursday, June 25. In Game 1 against the Cardinals on Wednesday night, LHP Jonathan Dziedzic (3-3, 3.61 ERA) will get the ball for Northwest Arkansas while Springfield has yet to name a starter. The official end to the first half of the Texas League season is following the game against the Arkansas Travelers on Monday, June 22.

You can catch all the live play-by-play action tomorrow night with the Voice of the Naturals Benjamin Kelly on your home for Naturals baseball on KQSM 92.1 The Ticket at 6:55 p.m. for the Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show leading up to first pitch against the Cardinals.

Follow the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Twitter @nwanaturals all throughout the year by using the hashtag #NaturalPastime for all of our up-to-date information on tickets, groups, promotions, roster, and team information.

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

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Texas League Stories from June 16, 2015


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