SPRINGDALE -- The Northwest Arkansas Naturals routed the Tulsa Drillers on Friday, keeping their chances of a weekend sweep in play and their early season trend alive.
First baseman Mauricio Ramos' drove in Bubba Starling with a fielder's choice in the sixth inning, snapping a 3-3 tie and opening the dam before the Naturals tacked on six runs in the seventh en route to a 10-5 home win.
The victory gave the Naturals (5-9) wins on the first two nights of the four-game series after also winning 5-2 on Thursday. Northwest Arkansas' first four series this year have been sweeps, with opposing teams sweeping the Naturals three times. The first two games of the Tulsa series have provided some needed momentum after the Naturals returned home having lost all six games on their Texas road trip.
"We had to refocus a little bit," Naturals manager Vance Wilson said. "We played some good teams on the road, but we were a little undisciplined in some areas that needed to be fixed. The way we prepare, which falls on me. The guys have responded to it.
"The biggest thing is just playing a solid game. We'd get undisciplined on defense, lazy going after balls, which isn't our guys. You hate using the word lazy, but lack of focus. Lack of approach. Just making sure these guys stay on task with what it takes to be a Double-A or higher type player."
Ramos, a Double-A newbie, was in the midst of the two game-changing innings despite failing to record one of the Naturals 11 hits, which snapped his five-game hitting streak. In addition to his go-ahead, sixth-inning fielder's choice, he earned an RBI in the seventh after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. He walked out of the park tied for the team lead with 11 RBIs this year, continuing his productive play after hitting a team-best .368 on the Naturals' recent road trip.
The Naturals blew the game open with the six-run seventh. Second baseman Ramon Torres' RBI double scored left fielder Logan Moon to stretch the lead to 5-3, then Starling drove in Torres with a single before Ramos' hit-by-pitch made it 7-3. Zane Evans followed with a two-run single, then Moon capped the onslaught with an RBI double against the befuddled Drillers (4-10).
Short Hops
• The Naturals have won five straight at home.
• Third baseman Hunter Dozier had another solid game hitting cleanup, finishing 1 for 2 with two RBIs. His two-run, two-out double in the third gave the Naturals take an early lead and left him tied with Ramos with a team-best 11 RBIs this year.
• Right-hander Jake Junis got off to a shaky start for the Naturals after allowing a two-run homer to Lars Anderson in the top of the second, but bounced back and wound up allowing three runs, all earned, in six innings, striking out five while giving up six hits and walking three. He also gave up a tying solo homer to Alex Verdugo in the fifth, but wound up earning his first victory in his first quality start in three tries this season after entering with a 6.00 ERA.
• Raul Mondesi and Starling executed a double steal in the seventh inning, giving the Naturals a steal in 13 of their first 14 games. The Naturals entered the night with 28 steals, 11 more than second-place San Antonio. Mondesi has a Texas League-leading eight stolen bases.
On Deck: The Naturals host Tulsa for the third installment in the four-game series at 7:05 p.m. Naturals left-hander Eric Skoglund (0-0, 5.23 ERA) is slated to face off against Drillers right-hander Chase De Jong (1-2, 3.86).
Promotion: Arvest Ballpark Calender Giveaway, Saturday Happy Hour
On The Air: KQSM-FM 92.1
On The Web: www.nwanaturals.com
TRAVELERS 3, CARDINALS 1
Alex Yarbrough, the 2014 Texas League Player of the Year, drove in all of the Travs’ runs in a 3-1 victory over the Springfield Cardinals in front of an announced crowd of 7,565 on Friday night at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
The infielder’s looping single into right field scored Angelo Amendolare and Chad Hinshaw in the third, and his single to right scored Hinshaw in the eighth as he raised his average to .357 in eight games with the Travs. It’s a good start, but Yarbrough said he’s not trying to get too far ahead of himself as he tries to get back to the player he was two years ago. He hit.285 for the Travs in 2014 and led the Texas League in hits (155) and doubles (38), a season that led to a No. 8 ranking among Los Angeles Angles prospects by Baseball America.
— Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Sports on 04/23/2016