SPRINGDALE — Northwest Arkansas quickly removed all the dramatics out of a winner-take-all game Monday afternoon.
The Naturals scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and went on clinch the Texas League’s second-half North Division title with an 8-0 victory over the Arkansas Travelers at Arvest Ballpark.
Northwest Arkansas advances to the best-of-f ive North Division Championship Series against firsthalf winner Springfield. The first two games will be played Wednesday and Thursday in Springfield, then the series shifts Friday to Arvest Ballpark, which will host games Saturday and Sunday if necessary.
It marks the sixth time in nine seasons that the Naturals have advanced to postseason play and the fourth time they’ve gotten there by winning the second-half title.
“The biggest thing was they knew what they were playing for,” Naturals Manager Vance Wilson said of his team, which enters postseason play for the second consecutive year. “They talked about (Sunday) night’s game, which was unbelievable and how much stress and pressure there was.
NATURALS 8, TRAVELERS 0
“They came out relaxed and prepared, which as a staff that’s all you can ask. They were ready to go, and it was awesome.”
Arkansas starter Alex Klonowski (1-3) didn’t make it out of the first inning.
Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI single drove in Corey Toups, who was hit by a pitch. Frank Schwindel followed with a two-run double off the leftfield wall for a 3-0 lead, and Klonowski exited.
The Travelers ended up using eight pitchers, one short of the Texas League record for a nine-inning game set by Houston in 1954. Naturals starter Josh Staumont (2-1) pitched six scoreless innings.
“It was probably Staumont’s best game of the year,” Wilson said. “It was what we needed, and I was proud of all the guys there. They contributed to this, and I couldn’t be prouder of a group of guys.”
Arkansas Manager Mark Parent was unavailable for comment immediately after the game.
Arkansas had two on and one out in the top of the first against Staumont, but backto-back strikeouts ended the inning, and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way for Staumont.
Staumont, a right-hander, allowed four hits and struck out 12, tying a season-high he set while in high Class A Wilmington. He became the first Naturals pitcher to record 10 or more strikeouts three times in a single season. He needed one more strikeout to tie Danny Duffy’s 13-strikeout record in 2013.
“As a pitcher, you have to know situations when you need strikeouts.” Staumont said. “In that early situation, we needed two strikeouts because putting the ball into play doesn’t really help us.
“When you get a lead early, it’s a lot easier to play. When you have these guys backing you defensively and making plays like they did, it’s a night and day difference.”
Northwest Arkansas added a run in the third when Humberto Arteaga tripled into the right-field corner and scored on Logan Moon’s sacrifice fly, then put the game away with a two-out rally in a four-run fourth. Mauricio Ramos and O’Hearn hit backto-back two-run doubles off the left-center field fence.