Northwest Arkansas Holds Off Corpus Christi

SPRINGDALE -- Northwest Arkansas almost saw another late lead slip away Wednesday night at Arvest Ballpark, but not quite.

The Naturals cut down the tying run at the plate to end the game and hold on for a 9-8 victory over Corpus Christi in Texas League baseball.

How They Scored

Northwest Arkansas 9, Corpus Christi 8

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Northwest Arkansas^000^404^10x^—^9^11^0

Hauschild, Smith (5), Weiland (7), Perez (8) and Garcia, Cokinos (8); Sulbaran, Arguilles (5), Williams (6), Selman (8), Peterson (9) and Gibbs. W-Williams, 5-2. L-Smith, 4-5. HRs- Northwest Arkansas, Maier (1).

Corpus Christi right fielder Leo Heras was tagged out trying to score after a pitch went into the dirt and bounced away from Northwest Arkansas catcher Micah Gibbs.

Gibbs tracked down the errant pitch and flipped to Naturals pitcher Mark Peterson covering the plate, who tagged Heras to end the game.

Peterson picked up his first Double-A save in his fourth appearance. He has not allowed a run.

Northwest Arkansas manager Vance Wilson said it was big to hold on for the win, after blowing a ninth-inning lead the night before.

"No question they are a young team and they battle you tough," Wilson said. "We blew one last night and all of a sudden you get up, they come back. You get up and they come back. It was good to get out of there."

Wilson acknowledged being unhappy with his pitchers' lack of execution on Wednesday.

"Our pitching's better than we showed," Wilson said. "I'm frustrated at them, at our lack of execution and pitch selection. We made a couple of bad calls pitch selection-wise when we were up four runs. You've got to go after them and we were kind of pitching away from contact."

It was a frantic ending to a back-and-forth game that saw the Naturals lead early, then fall behind. However, Ethan Chapman's big two-out, three-run double snapped a 5-5 tie in the sixth and gave Northwest Arkansas the lead for good.

Chapman made sure Corpus Christi reliever Kyle Smith paid for a little wildness as the pitcher had walked the bases full prior to Chapman's hit. It was also the Naturals' only hit in a four-run sixth inning.

Mitch Maier's first home run as a Natural, a solo shot in the eighth pushed Northwest Arkansas' lead to 9-5, but the Hooks clawed back with three in the eighth to get within a run.

Juan Graterol, who was playing in his first game back in Northwest Arkansas in about a month, went 2-for-3, drove in two runs and scored two. Chapman and Maier also had two hits each.

Shorthops

• There were several roster moves prior to Wednesday's game. Pitcher Brandon Finnegan, a first-round draft pick, was activated by the Naturals, while Graterol was sent back to Northwest Arkansas from Triple-A Omaha. Infielder Cheslor Cuthbert and pitcher Blake Wood were both promoted to Triple-A Omaha.

• Naturals center fielder Lane Adams will be activated from the disabled list today per Northwest Arkansas manager Vance Wilson. He has been sidelined for about a month with a bone bruise after being hit in the wrist by a pitch on July 6. Adams went 5-for-10 with two doubles and two triples in three games with Burlington of the Appalachian League earlier this week.

Royals Pipeline: Former Naturals pitcher Jason Adam pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief for Triple-A Omaha in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to Iowa. It was his fifth consecutive outing without allowing a run for Omaha, spanning 9.2 innings.

On Deck: Christian Binford (3-1, 2.29 ERA) will go to the mound for the Naturals in their final game of a three-game series against Corpus Christi. He will be opposed by right-hander Chris Devenski (2-3, 3.63 ERA) for the Hooks tonight for a 7:05 p.m. start.

Today's Promotion: It's Buck Night and thirsty Thursday. Small Coke products, mozzarella sticks and peanuts are only $1. In addition, selected 16-ounce beers are $2. It's also Lou Gehrig's ALS Awareness Night.

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Sports on 08/07/2014

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