TL Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Pair of First Inning Homers Not Enough as Naturals Fall to Tulsa in Extras

Published on August 23, 2021 under Texas League (TL)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


The Northwest Arkansas Naturals scored three runs in the first inning on the first Double-A home runs for Jeison Guzmán and Seuly Matias, but could not hang on to win, falling to the Tulsa Drillers 7-6 in 10 innings on Friday night at ONEOK Field.

Guzmán (MLB Pipeline's No. 22 Royals' prospect) left the yard just seven pitches into the game, sending a solo home run out of the stadium in the first inning. After Meibrys Viloria walked, Matias cranked a two-run homer to left, at the time putting the Naturals up 3-0.

The lead didn't hold for long, as Tulsa countered the three-run first for Northwest Arkansas with a five-run bottom of the first, sending 11 batters to the plate and forcing Naturals starter Ronald Bolaños (MLB Pipeline's No. 26 Royals' prospect) out of the game after just â..." of an inning and nine batters on his MLB Rehab assignment.

Tulsa's lead didn't last long, as the Naturals tied things up immediately in the second, scoring runs on a Tulsa error and an RBI single from Guzmán.

The score stayed knotted at five until the fifth when the teams traded runs, with the Naturals' coming on another Tulsa error, one that scored Freddy Fermin from second.

After Bolaños could not pitch out of the first, the Naturals bullpen stepped up in a big way. Lefty Robert Garcia relieved him and threw 3.0 scoreless, striking out two without walking a batter.

Holden Capps experienced some struggles, allowing the Drillers' fifth inning run, but was relieved by Jose Cuas, who recorded a strikeout with the bases loaded and punched out a season-high six batters across 2.1 scoreless.

Andrés Sotillet offered two innings without a run after Cuas' day ended, stranding two runners in the eighth and three in the ninth, with strikeouts to end the inning both times.

While Sotillet helped force extra innings with Tulsa, the Naturals batters could not come through, going quietly in the top of the 10th and while Josh Dye recorded a bases loaded strikeout with one out and came just two strikes away from the 11th inning, the Drillers walked off on Dye with a base hit up the middle, Dye's second extra-inning loss in as many weeks.

Guzmán and Brewer Hicklen each offered two hits in the Naturals' eight-hit night, while Vinnie Pasquantino (MLB Pipeline's No. 19 Royals' prospect) and Fermin both drew two walks. Hicklen stole two bases to bring his season total to 33 steals in 35 attempts, the most stolen bases at the Double-A level, tied for 12th in all of the Minors.

While the Drillers won, Naturals pitching excelled at forcing them to strand runners, as Tulsa left 21 runners on base over the 10 inning affair, including four times leaving the bases loaded.

Northwest Arkansas (48-45) returns to action on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. against Tulsa (51-43) for the fifth of the six-game series.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics

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Texas League Stories from August 23, 2021


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