SPRINGDALE — A slower pace proved to be what Corpus Christi preferred to play Tuesday night.
Ben Orloff’s two-run single put the Hooks in front for good, and Rene Garcia also drove in a pair during a five-run seventh inning en route to a 6-3 victory over Northwest Arkansas, ruining the start of a six-game Naturals homestand.
Northwest Arkansas (15-34) led 2-0 through the first five innings, which only took about an hour to play. The game’s rapid pace then went to a crawl, and that’s when Corpus Christi (31-21) took over.
The Hooks batted around in the seventh as Enrique Hernandez drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, then singles by Michael Burgess and Zach Johnson helped load the bases. That set the stage for Orloff and Garcia, who belted their singles off Matt Ridings, the fourth of five Naturals pitchers.
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Corpus Christi 6
Northwest Arkansas 3
The Lingo: “They’re one of the best teams in the league. You give them a chance, and they have a good lineup with some depth. Our bullpen, late in the game, just didn’t do what it needed to do. We gave up a walk and put them in a position to get some base runners. When you give good teams an opportunity, they will take advantage of it.”
— Brian Poldberg, NWA Naturals Manger
Short Hops:
w Naturals starter Noel Arugelles was pulled after three shutout innings because of a 50-pitch limit. The left-hander, who entered the game with a 1-7 record and a 6.07 earned run average, threw only 31 pitches and allowed one hit and a walk and his first outing in 12 days.
w Northwest Arkansas second baseman Alex McClure provided the defensive play of the game in the third. He ranged to his left to field Burgess’ grounder, then fired to a strike to shortstop Orlando Calixte to begin a double play.
w Corpus Christi starter David Martinez extended his string of appearances without a loss to 16, a string that goes back to Aug. 12. The right-hander, who was on the verge of suffering the loss before the Hooks’ rally, allowed his first earned run in 26 1/3 innings when Manny Pina hit his home run to start the fifth.
Extra Bases: Texas League President Thomas B. Kayser was in attendance for Tuesday’s game. … Brett Eibner started the Naturals first with a single, then was awarded second because of interference before scoring the game’s first run on a double-play grounder by Navarro. … Corpus Christi reliever Mike Foltynewicz picked up his first win of the season, pitching four innings of relief and allowing a run to score on an errant pickoff throw.
Royals Pipeline: Justin Trapp hit the fourth pitch of the game for his fifth home run of the season, while Cheslor Cuthbert and Jared Schlehuber hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the first inning of Class A-Advanced Wilmington’s 6-0 victory over Carolina. John Lamb threw seven innings of shutout ball, allowing only four hits.
On Deck: The two teams will play the middle game of their three-game series at 7:05 p.m. today. RHP Brooks Pounders (1-2, 3.44 ERA) draws the start on the mound for Northwest Arkansas, while Corpus Christi counters with RHP Ruben Alaniz (1-5, 5.17).
Today’s Promotion: The first 1,500 fans through the gates will receive a Texas League All-Star Game flag courtesy of Arkansas Office of Oral Health. If the Naturals win, today’s ticket is good for a free berm tickets for the June 12 game.
On The Air: KQSM-FM 92.1
On The Web: www.nwanaturals.com
CORPUS CHRISTI 6, NORTHWEST ARKANSAS 3
Corpus Christi^000^001^50^—^6^11^2
NW Arkansas^100^011^0^—^3^7^0
Martinez, Foltynewicz (6) and Garcia. Arguelles, Ferguson (4), Sulbaran (6), Ridings (7), Runion (8) and Pina. W - Foltynewicz, 1-0. L - Sulbaran, 0-3. Sv - None. HRs - NW Arkansas, Pina (2); Corpus Christi, Burgess (7).