TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Travs' 'Extra' Effort Sinks Naturals

Published on August 8, 2011 under Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


SPRINGDALE, AR - On three different occasions in the ninth, the Naturals had the Travelers down to their final strike, but couldn't get it across as the Travs got one in the ninth and another in the tenth to outlast the Naturals 2-1 in a Monday evening thriller at Arvest Ballpark.

In a reprise of their July 19th matchup that ended with the Naturals' Will Smith and Kelvin Herrera combining to no-hit the Travelers, both pitchers went eight strong innings, mixing and matching pitches and keeping opposing hitters off balance. Both pitchers allowed four hits, although one of the Naturals' four hits off Shoemaker was a leadoff homer by Jamie Romak in the seventh which put Northwest Arkansas up 1-0 heading into the final frame.

Combined, the two ex-teammates Shoemaker and Smith have gone 32 innings over their past two starts facing one another, with the homer by Romak representing the lone earned run allowed by either of them. Monday, Shoemaker walked three and fanned four while Smith walked only one and fanned six. Both teams played eight solid innings of defense behind them.

For Romak, it inched him ever closer to Clint Robinson's franchise home run mark. Romak now needs two homers to tie Robinson's mark of 29, set last season, and three to become the Naturals' all-time home run king. As it stands, Romak has 21 round-trippers on the season. Only Kila Ka'aihue (26 in 2008) and Robinson (29, all last season) have ever hit more than 21 in a single season, although both Corey Smith (21 in 2009) and Mike Moustakas (21 last season) reached that same total while wearing the Northwest Arkansas jersey.

What initially looked to be one of the tidiest games of the season took a wild turn in the ninth with reliever Edgar Garcia (0-2) on the mound. Garcia got two quick outs, getting Chris Pettit to fly out to center and Luis Jimenez to ground out to third. But Fabe Jacobo took Garcia's first offering to him to center for a solid single.

Travelers' skipper Bobby Mitchell then went for the lefty batter Blake Gailen to pinch hit for Roberto Lopez. Garcia seemed to be hitting the corners but Gailen ended up working the count full, and eventually worked a walk. Alberto Rosario followed and also went to a two-strike count before reaching on a soft grounder that found a no-man's land in front of the pitcher's mound. The next batter, Angel Castillo, also managed to work the count full and take a ball four, bringing in the tying run.

Fast forward to the tenth, Garcia again got two swift outs, including retiring uber-prospect Mike Trout on a weak popup to second, but Chris Pettit singled and Luis Jimenez doubled off the left-field wall and Pettit came around to score easily as North Little Rock (20-24, 56-55) took a 2-1 lead.

Northwest Arkansas (23-21, 58-53) had the Travs on the ropes against David Carpenter in the bottom of the tenth, trying to work up some two-out magic of their own. Wil Myers flew out to left and Nick Francis fanned looking, but Rey Navarro singled to left-center on a two-strike pitch and Ben Theriot reached on an infield single for his second hit of the night. But it wasn't meant to be, as Derrick Robinson grounded into a force out at second to end the game, earning Carpenter his second save.

Jeremy Berg (1-1), who retired the Naturals in order in the ninth inning, was credited with the win.

The Naturals will now hit the road for a six-game road trip that will take them first to Frisco and then to Midland. First up is a three-game set with the RoughRiders, the Texas Rangers' affiliate that begins Wednesday night. Right-hander Jeremy Jeffress (1-1, 4.60) will take the mound for the Naturals for his fifth Double-A start opposite Rangers' prospect Robbie Ross (0-1, 4.50). The left-hander is making just his second Double-A start after posting a 9-4 record and pitching to a 2.26 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) with Advanced Class-A Myrtle Beach. Game time is 7 P.M, and the broadcast can be heard on ESPN 92.1 The Ticket.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics

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Texas League Stories from August 8, 2011


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