SPRINGDALE -- Northwest Arkansas opened its final home stand of the regular season with a bang.
Frank Schwindel hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Naturals rallied to defeat Springfield 7-4 before 3,391 fans in Arvest Ballpark. Northwest Arkansas led 3-0 after six innings, but the Cardinals scored four runs in the seventh for a 4-3 lead.
"That was huge," said Naturals manager Vance Wilson. "For him to do that at that time was big."
Jorge Bonifacio started the eighth with a single, and Hunter Dozier hit a two-out double to put runners at second and third. After Patrick Morin was walked intentionally, Schwindel hit a shot into the seats in left field for his fourth home run of the year..
Schwindel said he had a little extra motivation going to the plate in the eighth inning.
"Those are at-bats you take personal, walking someone to get to you," Schwindel said. "It was a curve ball. He threw one for the first pitch and I was looking for it again. Sure enough, he came with it again and I put a good swing on it."
Naturals starter Jonathan Dziedzic didn't figure in the decision despite another strong outing. Dziedzic gave up a double and two singles in six innings of work. Dziedzic (9-6, 2.92 ERA) struck out two and didn't walk a batter while retiring the first 14 Springfield batters he faced.
Short Hops:
• Alex Liddi extended his Texas League-best hitting streak to 16 games with a single in the second inning. Liddi has hits in 19 0f the 20 games he has played in this month.
• Northwest Arkansas is now 4-51 when trailing after seven innings and are 43-16 when scoring four or more runs.
• Springfield loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the ninth, but reliever Malcom Culver struck out leadoff batter Charlie Tilson to end the game.
Extra Bases: Springfield manager Dan Bilardello was ejected in the bottom of the fifth inning after Cardinals pitcher Kyle Hald was called for a balk. ... Springfield's Nick Martini led off the sixth with a single, but the left fielder was thrown out by Naturals catcher Parker Morin while trying to steal second base. It was the Cardinals' second hit of the game.
On Deck: Game two of the four-game series is at 7 p.m. The Naturals will send right-handed pitcher Luke Farrell (3-3, 3.09 ERA) to the mound. Farrell was drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 Major League Draft. Springfield will start right-hander Corey Baker (5-5, 4.50 ERA).
Today's Promotion: It's winning Wednesday. If the Naturals win tonight, all ticket holders can get a free reserved ticket for Monday's game, which is the final home game of the regular season.
On The Air: KQSM-FM 92.1
On The Web: www.nwanaturals.com
Sports on 08/26/2015