TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Pena's Gem Stymies Naturals in Finale Loss

Published on May 31, 2018 under Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


FRISCO, Texas - Frisco starter, Richelson Pena had everything working from the outset and stalled the Naturals hot bats with a complete-game shutout with a 7-0 score in the finale at Dr. Pepper Ballpark on Thursday night. Despite the loss, the Naturals take two of the three games and clinch the club's sixth series win in the last seven.

Pena (3-3, 2.68) scattered seven hits over the nine frames with seven strikeouts and one walk. He threw 109 pitches on the night with 79 going for strikes. It marked the second complete game of his career and the first shutout of his career.

A couple story lines continued for the Naturals (26-27) even with Pena's fine start. Elier Hernandez extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the fourth inning and is now 20-for-42 over the 10-game stretch. Alex Liddi prolonged his hitting streak to 11 games with a ninth inning double off Pena. Liddi owns the second-longest active streak in the circuit.

Northwest Arkansas starter, Foster Griffin (2-6, 5.76) worked 5.1 innings, allowed seven runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Relievers, Sam Selman and Walker Sheller worked the final 2.2 innings. Selman retired all five hitters he faced over 1.2 frames while Sheller allowed one hit in the eighth.

The road trip continues for Northwest Arkansas with a three-game set against the Midland RockHounds (Oakland Athletics) on Friday night at Security Bank Ballpark in Midland, Texas with a 7:00 p.m. pitch.

Right-hander, Zach Lovvorn (3-2, 4.53) will make his second consecutive start against the RockHounds after tossing 7.0 innings of one-run baseball in a win against them last week. Opposite of Lovvorn is right-hander, Kyle Friedrichs (2-3. 7.93) for Midland.

Join the Voice of the Naturals, Benjamin Kelly, with a 6:40 p.m. pregame show leading up to first pitch to the 7:00 on AM-1590, the Ticket and the Naturals Radio Network.

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.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics

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Texas League Stories from May 31, 2018


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