TEXAS LEAGUE

Drillers starter too tough for Travs

Tulsa right-hander Deck McGuire became the first Texas League pitcher to reach four victories this season, holding the Arkansas Travelers to four hits over seven innings in a 5-0 victory on a chilly Tuesday evening at Dickey-Stephens Park.

McGuire (4-0) struck out seven and didn't allow a walk and Daniel Mayora drove in three runs as the Drillers ended the Travs' four-game winning streak.

McGuire's effort came on the heels of Monday's game in which the Drillers' pitching staff gave up only two hits in a 1-0 loss in 12 innings.

"Our starters in the last two games have just been unreal, but they've been like that all year long," said second baseman Brandon Dixon, who led off the game with his second home run of the season. "They've done a great job."

McGuire picked up run support six pitches into the game when Dixon sent a 3-2 fastball over the left-field wall.

"We needed that," Tulsa Manager Razor Shines said. "We had gone 12 scoreless innings, so we were excited to see it. There was a roar in the dugout."

McGuire outdueled Arkansas left-hander Tyler DeLoach (1-2) in front of a sparse crowd of 2,590 fans who endured the 56-degree temperature at first pitch. DeLoach allowed only five hits and struck out eight, but the Travelers could not solve McGuire and suffered their fifth shutout of the season, four of which have come at home.

The Travelers' best chance to score came early. Back-to-back singles by Brian Hernandez and Wade Hinkle to start the second inning allowed the Travs to place runners at the corners, but the rally turned sour when the hits were followed by consecutive pop-ups.

McGuire got Arkansas catcher Charlie Cutler to fly out to shallow left field and induced an infield fly from D'Arby Myers. A strikeout of Kentrail Davis ended the inning.

McGuire retired 12 consecutive batters from the second through fifth innings and allowed only two more Travs to reach base.

"Our pitchers have been doing a lot of things right all year," said Shines, who saw his team lower its ERA to a league-leading 2.49. "We've only had one game where it kind of got away from us. Our guys have been throwing the ball and commanding the strike zone. ... [Deck] commanded all of his pitches, his change-up, his breaking ball and he spotted up his fastball. When you do that, you're going to be difficult to hit."

Arkansas has managed only one run and seven hits in its first two games of the eight-game homestand. For the second night in a row, the Travelers were guilty of three errors, including two on one play when second baseman Drew Maggi failed to handle a sharp ground ball hit by Dixon and then threw the ball into the Travelers' dugout.

Only two of Tulsa's runs were earned. Mayora, who is hitting .311, drove in the Drillers' second run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. His two-out double off the left-field wall in the eighth inning doubled the Drillers' lead to 4-0.

Tulsa scored its final run in the ninth inning when a ground ball got under the glove of shortstop Sherman Johnson.

Hinkle stroked a two-out double in the seventh inning, but he was left stranded when McGuire ended his evening with a strikeout of Cutler. Left-hander Ryan Dennick allowed only one hit in his two innings of relief to finish off the shutout.

NATURALS 6, CARDINALS 5

Pinch-hitter Mike Bianucci’s single to center field drove in Bubba Starling from second base as Northwest Arkansas pulled out a victory over Springfield at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.

The Naturals led 5-3 going into the final inning, but the Cardinals tied the game with two runs in the top of the ninth.

A leadoff walk to Starlin Rodriguez and a single by Mike Ohlman put runners on first and second with no outs, and David Washington followed with a soft liner to center that scored Rodriguez and pulled the Cardinals to within 5-4. Ohlman scored two batters later when Breyvic Valera grounded into a forceout to tie the game.

Northwest Arkansas took a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning. Angel Franco hit a two-run home run to right-center field, Hunter Dozier had a run-scoring double and Balbino Fuenmayor added an RBI single.

Fuenmayor, who finished 3 for 4, added another run-scoring single in the sixth.

Reliever Aroni Nina (1-0) picked up the victory, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk. Corey Baker (1-2) took the loss, giving up 2 runs with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk in 1 1/3 innings.

Sports on 04/29/2015

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