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TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

One Last Howl at 'The Wolff' Sees Naturals Win, 3-2

July 6, 2018 - Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


SAN ANTONIO - Three first inning runs and a quality start by Emilio Ogando proved to be the proper ingredients in the Naturals 3-2 win over the San Antonio Missions on Friday night at Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium. The victory snapped a five-game losing skid for Northwest Arkansas and is the final game to be play by the franchise at Nelson Wolff Stadium.

The Naturals (38-48/3-10) jumped on starter, Logan Allen right away. Jecksson Flores promptly extended his hitting streak to 17 games - a career-high - with double down the third base line. Two batters later, Erick Mejia coaxed a walked and executed a double-steal of second and third with Flores to set up a two-run double by Elier Hernandez.

After Allen walked Anderson Miller, Kelvin Gutierrez beat out a near double-play ball to plate Hernandez from third base, augmenting the Naturals' lead, 3-0. Northwest Arkansas forced Allen (8-4, 2.78) to throw 39 pitches in the opening inning.

Left-hander, Emilio Ogando (5-5, 6.22) protected that lead the entire night. The southpaw tossed 6.0 innings of one-run baseball, scattering seven hits with five strikeouts and three walks. The lone run allowed came on a solo home run by Austin Allen in the sixth inning. The next man doubled; but Ogando quickly picked him off at second base, generated a pair of weak groundout to complete his night.

It marked the second quality start of the season by Ogando and his first since May 18. The six innings of work marked his longest start since he tossed seven innings against Springfield on May 18.

Left-hander, Gabe Speier allowed an unearned run in the seventh inning before Yunior Marte worked two innings of scoreless relief to notch his first save since August, 2017.

Hernandez finished with two hits and drove in a pair of runs. It is the first time the 23-year old outfielder has plated two runs in a contest since he notched three RBIs on June 9.

The Naturals continue the six-game road trip by opening a three-game set at Whataburger Field against the Corpus Christi Hooks on Saturday, July 7. Right-hander, Scott Blewett (4-4, 5.38 ERA) takes the mounds opposite of Hooks' right-hander, Corbin Martin (5-1, 2.57 ERA).

Join the Voice of the Naturals, Benjamin Kelly, for a 6:45 p.m. pregame show leading up to the 7:05 p.m. first pitch on 92.1-FM, the Ticket.

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.

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Texas League Stories from July 6, 2018


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