SPRINGDALE -- The Naturals' slick-fielding middle infield tandem of Humberto Arteaga and Jack Lopez put the coup de grace on a masterpiece on Sunday afternoon.
The pair turned their third inning-ending double play to cap a 3-0 shutout of Frisco at Arvest Ballpark and sent a small crowd of 3,758 home bedazzled.
The win capped a three-game series sweep for Northwest Arkansas (21-29 second half, 60-60 overall) and ended the home stand with a nice 5-1 mark against Midland and Frisco (20-30, 51-69) of the Texas League South Division.
"Especially against a division typically we don't play well against," Northwest Arkansas manager Vance Wilson. "Midland is a very good team. These guys are dangerous. They play in a good division, so I'm proud of the guys the way they went about it."
With one on and one out in the top half of the ninth, Frisco's Eric Aguilera bounced a grounder up the middle, which Arteaga snagged. He flipped the ball out of his glove across his body to Lopez, who grabbed it with his bare hand. He stepped on second in stride and easily completed the double play with a perfect throw to first baseman Mauricio Ramos.
Even Wilson squeezed out a smile at the game's final play.
"As long as they make that play, I'm fine with it," Wilson said. "When they start dropping that crap, those guys are unbelievable, always have been. You don't coach that stuff. They turned a couple of those, that pair."
Lopez started a pair of inning-ending double plays with precision tosses in the first and second innings, which Arteaga completed smoothly.
"They're special infielders," Wilson said. "They're the reason we are where we are especially the first half. A lot of it is defense and those guys."
Emilio Ogando twirled seven shutout innings, needing just 88 pitches, to earn the win on his 24th birthday. He retired 13 of 14 at one point.
"He's been really good for us this year," Wilson said. "I don't want to say unexpectedly, but I don't think we expected him to get here as soon as he has and to do the things he's done for us. He's been huge for us."
The Naturals gave up just three runs to Frisco in three games and 16 runs in the six-game homestand.
"This whole home stand has been outstanding, our catching and our pitching, "Wilson said. "Our catchers have called great games. It was a really good home stand and what we needed to do pitching-wise especially this time of the year as we get closer to the playoffs."
Ogando gave way to Yunior Marte, who picked up the save with two scoreless frames to complete the Naturals' sixth shutout of the year.
Scoreless through four innings, Ramos accounted for all of the runs in the game with a two-out three-run homer in the fifth.
Lopez singled with an out in the fifth, putting down a bunt and advancing all the way to second on a throwing error on the play. Lopez was thrown out at the plate on Donnie Dewees' sharp single to center. Hunter Dozier walked before Ramos rocketed a liner off the back wall of the left-field bullpen.
SHORT HOPS
• The Naturals turned three double plays on Sunday, matching a season high this year for the fifth time
• After Ramos' homer in the fifth inning, Frisco never had the tying run at the plate
• The Naturals are now 10-13 in day games, 18-14 in the third game of series, and 21-21 against the South Division for the season
On Deck: The Naturals are off on Monday before beginning a six-game swing through Texas, opening with three games at Midland on Tuesday. Corey Ray (6-10, 5.18) is slated to take the mound for Northwest Arkansas while Midland will start A.J. Puk (1-3, 5.63). Ray is 0-1 against Midland in three starts, allowing 13 earned runs and 20 hits in 16-1/3 innings. Puk was the sixth pick in the 2016 draft out of Florida and considered the top pitching prospect for the Oakland Athletics. Puk received no decision in last week's 6-4 loss to Northwest Arkansas, going five innings and giving up seven hits and three runs with six strikeouts in his only start against the Naturals.
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Sports on 08/14/2017