SPRINGDALE — Northwest Arkansas took advantage of some shaky Springfield defense for a six-run second inning and cruised to an 8-3 win over the North Division leading Cardinals on Friday night at Arvest Ballpark.
The Naturals (13-14) climbed within 1½ games of the Cardinals and split the four-game series with Springfield.
Just two of the Naturals’ four hits in the big inning left the infield as Springfield made two errors that led to five unearned runs.
NATURALS 8, CARDINALS 3
Ryan O’Hearn, who finished 2 for 5, capped off the inning with a two-run double, giving Northwest Arkansas a 6-0 lead. Logan Moon started it with an RBI single with the bases loaded just past a drawn-in infield.
Naturals manager Vance Wilson was pleased with his team’s effort against Springfield starter Daniel Poncedeleon (1-3).
“That guy’s really good,” Wilson said. “To be able to score that kinda runs against that guy even though we had a little bit of help. But we were able to take advantage of it. We put the ball in play and made them have to make plays and they didn’t.”
Matt Strahm (2-1) was the beneficiary of the big inning, but the left-hander didn’t need much help. He went seven innings to pick up the win, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits, striking out seven and walking one.
Wilson also praised the work of the Naturals’ starters and Strahm turned in another great effort.
“It’s all about your own pitching,” Wilson said. “Strahm’s been great. When your starters are giving you six and seven innings, kinda of shorten how we have to use our bullpen, it matches up. He was really was good at finishing guys tonight.
Springfield (15-13) got a pair of solo home runs by third baseman Paul DeJong and hit four homers in the series, going 6 for 16.
SHORT HOPS
• Northwest Arkansas had four doubles in the game, two by O’Hearn and two by Orlando Calixte.
• Naturals shortstop Raul Mondesi was back the lineup, after missing the last three games and went 1 for 5. Northwest Arkansas center field Bubba Starling got the day off. Starling has just one hit in his last 21 at-bats.
• The Naturals turned three double plays in the game, two that ended innings.
On Deck: The Naturals open a four-game series at Arkansas. Northwest Arkansas send Christian Binford (2-2 6.11 ERA) to the mound opposite Tyler Carpenter (2-0 0.82 ERA) for the Travelers. First pitch is slated for 7:10.
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On The Web: www.nwa naturals.com
DRILLERS 7, TRAVELERS 1
Chase De Jong knows it sounds simple, but the Tulsa Drillers right-hander wasn’t sure how else to explain his best start of the season.
“Quality fastballs,” he said. “That was the goal tonight. I don’t know what the exact number was, but I threw a lot of fastballs.”
That’s all he needed against the Arkansas Travelers, when he held them to just 1 single and struck out 8 over 7 innings in their 7-1 victory at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
De Jong, a second-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012 acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers last July, effortlessly worked through a Travs lineup that totaled 16 hits and six runs the day before. Using mostly a fastball and a changeup, De Jong retired the first 13 batters he faced and, after a Cal Towey single up the middle in the fifth, retired the next eight in his longest outing of the season while throwing 61 of his 94 pitches for strikes.
It came after he gave up three home runs in his last start and four earned runs in the start before that. De Jong called Thursday night his cleanest outing of the season.
“That’s the best my fastball command has been since spring training,” he said.
Arkansas Manager Mark Parent was impressed, too, while saying Thursday was an all-around forgettable game. Towey’s single was the Travs’ only hit until Angel Rosa’s single in the eighth, but Anthony Phillips grounded into a double play to end the inning. Bo Way walked and scored on Chad Hinshaw’s double in the ninth, but Dustin Richardson retired Eric Aguilera, Andrew Daniel and Towey to end the game.
Sports on 05/07/2016