SPRINGDALE -- The Northwest Arkansas Naturals used strong relief pitching and a couple of long balls to rally for a 7-2 victory over the Arkansas Travelers on Monday night at Arvest Ballpark.
The Naturals scored three runs in the fourth inning to snap a 2-2 tie and went on to win to climb into a tie for first place with the Travelers in the second-half standings of the Texas League North Division.
Jack Lopez hit a two-run home run, while Mauricio Ramos and Cam Gallagher added solo shots to help Northwest Arkansas rally from an early 2-0 deficit and defeat Arkansas, which had won 11 of 14.
The Travelers scored once in each of the first two innings, but Arkansas Manager Mark Parent said his team should have had more after leaving the bases loaded in both innings. They failed to take advantage as Northwest Arkansas starter Josh Staumont struggled with command and walked six in 1 2/3 innings.
"That's basically the game because you can get real big momentum, but instead even though you've got a two-run lead, you realize how much you let go," Parent said. "You actually feel like you're behind. They brought in [Daniel] Stumpf and he did a good job and our guy, he was trying to make the pitch. He just couldn't get it in or down. Just missing a little bit and they took advantage of it."
Naturals Manager Vance Wilson said Staumont's pitches showed some cutting action that he hadn't shown before.
"Obviously Josh has a little bit of history with control problems," Wilson said. "He was sweating and Cam said his ball was cutting. We hadn't seen his ball cut like that, and now you wonder about grips and stuff.
"Something was off. He threw some good curve balls. He wasn't crazily wild. He was up in the zone. But we got some big hits. Up and down the lineup, it was a nice night."
The Naturals bullpen combined for 7 1/3 scoreless innings. Daniel Stumpf (1-0) pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing 1 hit and striking out 3 in relief of Staumont to pick up the victory.
Right-hander Miguel Almonte, rated as the No. 4 prospect in the Kansas City Royals system by Baseball America, was sent down to the Naturals on Monday from Class AAA Omaha. He pitched two scoreless innings Monday night, allowing an infield hit.
Alex Yarbrough and Wade Wass led Arkansas with two hits each, while Gallagher led the Naturals' 13-hit Naturals attack with three. Zane Evans was one of three Naturals with two hits as he snapped out of a 3-for-37 skid.
Sports on 08/02/2016