SPRINGDALE -- It took one of Tulsa's better hitting efforts to put an end to Northwest Arkansas' four-game winning streak Friday.

The Drillers combined for 15 hits against four Naturals pitchers and ended their four-game losing skid by picking up a 10-6 victory at Arvest Ballpark.

"They're a good hitting team," Northwest Arkansas manager Vance Wilson said. "We came back and got the lead, and we needed some shutdown innings. Unfortunately, we didn't get it.

"The biggest thing was they battled and put balls into play. They got a couple of what people call cheap hits, but they're hits. They're tough, and there's a reason why they won the first half. It's another reason we have to play solid baseball when we play them."

The biggest blow came from a player who entered Friday's game looking for his first hit with Tulsa. David Kandilas, the ninth batter in the Drillers' lineup, broke out of an 0-for-17 skid when he followed Brian Humphries' single with a triple past a diving Lane Adams in center field and broke a 5-5 tie in the top of the sixth inning

Kandilas later scored on Joey Wong's single and gave Tulsa (1-3) a 7-5 lead. Northwest Arkansas (3-1) picked up a solo tally in the bottom half of the inning when Hunter Dozier double and later scored on a wild pitch, but the Drillers added a run in the seventh and two more in the ninth on a wind-aided double by Humphries.

Short Hops

• Hunter Dozier, who was promoted Thursday from Class A-Advanced Wilmington, picked up his first hit with the Naturals with a two-run single in the third before he hit his double in the sixth.

• Cheslor Cuthbert started the Naturals' scoring with a solo home run to lead off the second inning. It was his eighth of the season, and he also added an RBI double in the third.

• Tulsa starter Jon Gray (7-3) picked up his fifth victory of the season against the Naturals despite a less-than-stellar performance. The right-hander allowed five runs on seven hits through five innings and benefited from the Drillers taking the lead for good in the sixth.

Extra Bases: The Naturals tied three dubious season-highs Friday: errors (four), hits into double plays (two) and strikeouts (12) ... Cuthbert became the fifth Natural to draw a start at first base. ... The loss drops Northwest Arkansas' record in June to 10-10. ... Tulsa designated hitter Ryan Casteel extended his hit streak to eight games with a two-run home run against Naturals starter Tim Melville in the first.

Royals Pipeline: Cody Reed, the Kansas City Royals' second-round pick of the 2013 draft, threw six shutout innings and picked up the victory Friday as Class A Lexington took a 1-0 decision over Delmarva in South Atlantic League action. Reed (2-6), a 6-foot-5 left-hander, allowed just five hits and two walks while striking out two batters.

On Deck: The Naturals and Drillers continue their four-game series with a 6:05 p.m. game today at Arvest Ballpark. Right-hander J.C. Sulbaran (4-5, 3.04 ERA) will start on the mound for Northwest Arkansas, while Tulsa counters with left-hander Carlos Hernandez (1-4, 2.50).

Today's Promotion: The first 2,000 fans to today's game will receive a one-of-a-kind Naturals rubber duck courtesy of ARUMC, and there will be a free youth baseball clinic from 2-4 p.m. for kids 12 and under.

On The Air: KQSM-FM 92.1

On The Web: www.nwanaturals.com

Sports on 06/21/2014