TEXAS LEAGUE

Naturals turn up offense in drubbing of Travelers

Northwest Arkansas Naturals third baseman Rey Navarro (left) is congratulated by teammate Orlando Calixte after he hit a two-run home run against the Arkansas Travelers on Sunday in Springdale.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals third baseman Rey Navarro (left) is congratulated by teammate Orlando Calixte after he hit a two-run home run against the Arkansas Travelers on Sunday in Springdale.

SPRINGDALE - Arkansas Travelers shortstop Rolando Gomez led off Sunday’s game at Arvest Ballpark by hitting Sugar Ray Marimon’s fourth pitch for a home run over the right-field wall.

Things went downhill for the Travelers from there as Marimon settled down and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals won 12-4 before an announced crowd of 5,234.

The Naturals set season-highs for runs and hits (13). They scored four runs in the second inning with four hits, including doubles by Mitch Canham and Angel Franco.

Northwest Arkansas pushed its lead to 10-2 with a five-run fourth, when Franco hit a three-run home run and Rey Navarro hit a two-run home run off Travelers starter Matt Oye (3-2).

“It usually takes us three hits to score, and today we got a lot of runs on one swing of the bat,” Naturals Manager Brian Poldberg said. “It was nice to do that for a change.”

Franco went 2 for 5 with 5 RBI. Canham went 3 for 5 to raise his batting average to .347. Alex McClure went 2 for4 with 2 runs and Orlando Calixte went 2 for 5 with 2 runs.

“It’s fun to watch innings unfold like that, where our pitcher gets a chance to sit in the dugout and rest,” Canham said. “Sug threw really well. He came out and attacked the strike zone.”

Franco hit his second home run of the season while Navarro hit his first. Both are switch hitters and batted left-handed against the right-handed throwing Oye.

“They’ve got sneaky power,” Canham said. “If they need to hit one out, they can. If you come inside, they’ve got a chance to do that to you.

“You go away, they know how to put the ball in the gap the other way. Both are very impressive hitters.”

Arkansas Manager Tim Bogar said Franco and Navarro - along with the rest of the Naturals - also took advantage of Oye’s struggles.

“Matty got through the first inning, and then everything was up,” Bogar said. “He left the ball up over the plate and was behind a lot of hitters. He didn’t have a lot today.

“They got in good hitting counts, and we threw the ball up in the zone, they did what they’re supposed to do.”

Marimon (2-3) went 6 innings, allowing 3 earned runs while scattering 7 hits without a walk and striking out 6.

“Sugar Ray got in a lot of good change ups early,” Poldberg said. “He got in a little bit of trouble, but he got through six innings. That’s something we expect him to do, get us into the sixth and seventh.”

Gomez had a chance to go for the cycle after hitting a triple in the third inning and a single in the fifth, but he struck out in the seventh and grounded out in the ninth.

Gomez’s 3 for 5 game raised his average to .289.

“We moved him into the lead off spot about two weeks ago, and he’s run with it,” Bogar said. “He’s done a good job there.”Today’s game

ARKANSAS TRAVELERS VS NW ARKANSAS NATURALS

WHEN 7 p.m. WHERE Arvest Ballpark, Springdale RADIO KARN-AM 920 in Central Arkansas; 92.1 FM in Northwest Arkansas INTERNET nwanaturals.com, travs.com PITCHERS Travelers: RHP Manny Correra (1-2, 4.15 ERA). Naturals: RHP Yordano Ventura (2-0, 2.31 ERA).

TICKETS $12 Super premium, $10 premium, $8 reserved, $6 grass berm.

SHORT HOPS: Hot dogs will be $1 at tonight’s game … it’s buy one ticket, get one free for Ozarks Electric Cooperative customers …it was 43 degrees at the first pitch Saturday night, making it the third-coldest game in the Naturals six seasons in Springdale. The three-coldest games all have come this season. TheNaturals twice played games in which the starting temperature was 42 degrees, against Tulsa and at Springfield.

TRAVELERS WEEK AHEAD

T0DAY at NW Arkansas 7 p.m.

TUESDAY at NW Arkansas 11 a.m.

WEDNESDAY at Tulsa 4:05 p.m.

THURSDAY at Tulsa 7:05 p.m.

FRIDAY Off

SATURDAY at Tulsa 7:05 p.m.

SUNDAY at Tulsa 2:05 p.m.

NATURALS WEEK AHEAD

TODAY vs Arkansas 7 p.m.

TUESDAY vs Arkansas 11 a.m.

WEDNESDAY Off

THURSDAY at Springfield 7:09 p.m.

FRIDAY at Springfield 7:09 p.m.

SATURDAY at Springfield 6:09 p.m.

SUNDAY at Springfield 2:09 p.m.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Arkansas 4, Northwest Arkansas 2 Springfield 5, Tulsa 3 Frisco 4, Midland 2 San Antonio 6, Corpus Christi 2

SUNDAY’S GAMES

Northwest Arkansas 12, Arkansas 4 Midland 5, Frisco 4 Corpus Christi 7, San Antonio 3 Springfield 12, Tulsa 1

TODAY’S GAMES All times Central

Arkansas at NW Arkansas, 7 p.m.

Corpus Christi at San Antonio, 11:05 a.m. Frisco at Midland, 6:30 p.m.

Tulsa at Springfield, 7:09 p.m.

TUESDAY’S GAMES

Arkansas at NW Arkansas, 11 a.m.

Frisco at Midland, 11 a.m.

Tulsa at Springfield, 11:09 a.m.

Corpus Christi at San Antonio, 7:05 p.m.

Sports, Pages 13 on 05/06/2013

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