SPRINGDALE -- Saturday was another silent night for Northwest Arkansas.
Four pitchers pitchers combined on a two-hitter as Springfield defeated the Naturals 1-0 before a crowd of 4,822 at Arvest Ballpark. The Cardinals won three consecutive after dropping the first game of the series to the Naturals, who've lost eight of their last nine.
Trey Nielsen (6-6) earned the victory over Eric Skoglund (3-5), who pitched six quality innings for Northwest Arkansas.
Springfield (39-29) bunched together three hits in the second inning and scored the game's only run on a single by Mason Katz. Carmeron Gallagher and Ryan O'Hearn each had doubles for Northwest Arkansas' only hits.
"We've got some real good pitchers, but they do, too," Springfield manager Dann Bilardello said. "The credit goes to our pitching staff, for sure. Nielsen got it going and our bullpen did a great job."
The series started off well for Northwest Arkansas (29-39) when the Naturals collected a season-high 18 hits in a 12-6 victory over the Cardinals. Northwest Arkansas hitters then struggled badly while losing 2-1 , 2-0, and 1-0 to Springfield, which will begin a two-game series at Tulsa today to decide the first-half championship in the Texas League North Division.
Northwest Arkansas will continue its homestand today against the Arkansas Travelers at 2:05 p.m. at Arvest Ballpark.
"For a couple of weeks now, we've had good pitching, pretty good defense but we're missing that third (element)," Northwest Arkansas manager Vance Wilson said. "It's just the mental approach from our guys."
Northwest Arkansas starter Eric Skoglund was in trouble only in the second when the Cardinals had a double and two singles. The Cardinals then loaded the bases, but Skoglund avoided additional damage with a groundout and a strikeout to end the inning.
SHORT HOPS
• Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon will begin his rehabilitation assignment with Northwest Arkansas, where he's expected to be in the lineup for today's game against Arkansas at 2:05 p.m.
Gordon, a four-time Gold Glove winner, has been sidelined with a fracture to his hand after colliding with third baseman Mike Moustakas on May 22. Gordon has a career batting average of .267 in 10 years in the major leagues.
• Jonathan Rodriguez hustled on the bases to avoid being double off by Northwest Arkansas in the third inning. Rodriguez had already rounded second base when Bubba Starling caught a drive by Bruce Caldwell deep in center field. Rodriguez touched second base again and got back safely after a wide relay throw to first base.
The Cardinals had another hit in the inning but did not score after Anthony Garcia grounded into a double play.
On Deck: The homestand continues today with Northwest Arkansas hosting Arkansas at 2:05 p.m. Ashton Goudeau (2-3, 2.86 ERA) will make the start for the Naturals against Tyler Carpenter (2-3, 4.26 ERA) for the Travelers.
Today's Promotion: Father's Day cap giveaway for the first 1,000 dads in attendance; Kids 12 and under eat free.
On The Air: KQSM-FM, 92.1
On The Web: www.nwanaturals.com
Sports on 06/19/2016