SPRINGDALE -- Midland pitcher Sean Murphy tossed seven shutout innings and he got plenty of support en route to a 6-0 win over Northwest Arkansas in Texas League baseball on Friday night at Arvest Ballpark.
The right-hander allowed only three hits, all singles, to send the sell-out home crowd of 7,750 home unhappy, and help the RockHounds take the rubber game of the series.
How They Scored
Midland^002^121^000^—^6^14^1
Northwest Arkansas^000^000^000^—^0^4^0
Murphy, Smith (8) and Forsythe; Selman, Baez (5), Murray (7) and Gibbs. W-Murphy, 2-0. L-Selman, 3-6.
At A Glance
Texas League Standings
North Division
Team^W-L^GB
Arkansas^8-7^—
Northwest Arkansas^7-7^1.0
Tulsa^6-8^1.5
Springfield^5-10^3.0
Friday’s Scores
San Antonio 7, Tulsa 4
Frisco 9, Arkansas 5
Corpus Christi 8, Springfield 0
Midland at Northwest Arkansas, 7:05 p.m.
Today’s Games
Frisco at Northwest Arkansas, 7:05 p.m.
Springfield at San Antonio, 7:05 p.m.
Midland at Arkansas, 7:10 p.m.
Tulsa at Corpus Christi, 7:10 p.m.
Murphy (3-0) struck out nine, walked one and did not allow a Naturals runner past second base.
Naturals manager Vance Wilson said his team lacked energy, which is a problem with such a big home crowd.
"I didn't like our energy," Wilson said. "We were flat. A little disturbed that 8,000 people were here and we were flat in the dugout. We'll address it tomorrow. We've got to fix things like that. (Murphy) was good, but I didn't think he was four hits good and I'm disappointed."
The RockHounds banged out 14 hits in the game, led by Hiro Nakajima's 4-for-5 effort. The Midland second baseman drove in three runs and scored once. Catcher Blake Forsythe also went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Billy Burns and D'Arby Myers added two hits each.
Midland took advantage of its scoring opportunities, tallying runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
Nakajima hammered a ball off third baseman Hunter Dozier's glove for a two-run single in the third off Naturals starter Sam Selman (3-6). Forsythe slapped a two-out, two-run double in the fifth, while Nakajima added a run-scoring single in the sixth.
Jorge Bonifacio went 2-for-4 to lead the Naturals.
Short Hops
• Northwest Arkansas pitchers rank second in the Texas League in most walks allowed, just five behind league-leading Arkansas, which has issued 319 free passes. Three Naturals pitchers rank among the top six in the league in walks allowed with right-hander Tim Melville at the top, walking 43 batters in 75 innings pitched. Also on that list are Selman and J.C. Sulbaran.
• Area baseball fans will get the chance to see one of the top power-hitting prospects in the minor leagues in Frisco third baseman Joey Gallo this weekend. The RoughRiders will play a three-game series starting tonight in Arvest. Gallo, rated the No. 4 prospect in the Texas Rangers organization by Baseball America, has hit nine home runs in 21 games for Frisco and 30 in 79 games between Class A and Double-A this season.
Extra Bases: Naturals center fielder Lane Adams had an eight-game hitting streak snapped on Thursday. ... Max Ramirez was out of the Naturals' lineup for the third straight game Friday with a hip flexor problem. ... Angel Franco now has 20 hits against Midland this season and 22 against the rest of the league.
Royals Pipeline: Third baseman Mauricio Ramos went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Lexington's 3-2 loss to Greensboro on Thursday night. Ramos, signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2010, is hitting .302 with 4 home runs and 28 RBIs for the Class A Legends. He is hitting .333 with three homers and seven RBIS over his last 10 games.
On Deck: The Naturals open a three-game series against Frisco. Northwest Arkansas right-hander Christian Binford will make his Double-A debut. He will be opposed by Frisco RHP Alec Asher (7-6, 3.12 ERA).
Today's Promotion: It will be the third consecutive night of post-game fireworks. The Naturals are hosting the second BeerFest of the season. Adults may enjoy half price in the Craft Beer Corner from 6-6:45 p.m. before the game.
On The Air: KQSM-FM 92.1
On The Web: www.nwanaturals.com
Sports on 07/05/2014