SPRINGDALE -- One big inning wasn't going to carry the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Sunday night.
Two of them did, though.
The Naturals let the lead slip away after a five-run third inning, but they broke a late tie with four more in the seventh on the way to a 10-6 win against Midland before 5,541 at Arvest Ballpark.
The victory completed a three-game sweep of South Division Midland before Northwest Arkansas embarks on a six-game swing through Texas beginning Tuesday.
Sunday's game was similar to Friday when the Naturals scored three in the bottom of the ninth to take an 11-10 win. The Naturals scored multiple runs in the fourth, sixth, eighth and finally ninth inning.
"When you win the first two games of the series, you're concern is always that you'll get content, and if a team throws something at you how do you weather it in a winning culture," Northwest Arkansas Manager Vance Wilson said. "That's what our guys are starting to learn."
Parker Morin started the inning innocently enough by getting hit by a pitch. Jack Lopez singled with a 25-foot bunt that Midland let roll but stayed fair, and the two runners moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by Elier Hernandez. Samir Duenez was intentionally walked, and Mauricio Ramos knocked in Morin and Lopez with a hard single down the left-field line. Alfredo Escalara and Donnie Dewees each added RBI singles.
The Naturals scored five runs in the third with Ruben Sosa and Morin drawing walks and later scoring on singles by Lopez and Hernandez. Duenez followed with a long three-run homer onto the grassy area past the fence in right-center.
Midland, which took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning, battled back and tied the game at 6-all with three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
Lopez, Hernandez, Duenez and Ramos, the top four hitters in the Naturals' order, combined to go 7-for-14 with six runs scored and seven RBIs. Lopez had three hits in the leadoff spot.
"You give a lot of credit to Jack Lopez, he's really re-invented himself this year," Wilson said. "He's the type of player he needs to be. When you have a guy like that at the top of the order to spark you
The 22-year-old Hernandez, batting behind Lopez, had a perfect day at the plate with three walks, a sacrifice bunt and a third-inning single.
"The cool thing about most of our guys is you can hit them anywhere in the lineup," Wilson said. "They can kind of morph into that role. That two-hole hitter, we've got to move runners, you've got to be able to sac bunt. The kid's got a lot of raw power that he will develop into. For him to be able to do those things at such a young age is pretty special."
The Naturals walked eight times and only had four strikeouts.
"Our guys are going an incredible job," Wilson said. "We're not striking out like we were last year and the beginning of this year. Our hitting coach has made a huge impact coming in with our guys. The biggest thing is they're feeding off each other, and that's what I like to see."
SHORT HOPS
• The Naturals scored multiple runs in seven innings of the three-game sweep of Midland, capped by four- and five-run innings on Sunday.
• All nine batting spots for the Naturals wrecked damage on Midland on Sunday behind eight walks, a hit by pitch, and 10 hits.
• Northwest Arkansas and Midland each had over 10 hits on Sunday, combining for 21 in the game.
On Deck: The Naturals have an open date on Monday and travel to Texas to begin a six-game road swing first at Frisco on Tuesday. Northwest Arkansas has not determined a starter yet, pending a possible roster move. Frisco will go with Connor Sadzeck (1-1, 4.88) on the mound. Northwest Arkansas touched him for eight hits and five runs in 5-1/3 innings last week but Sadzeck still earned the victory in an 8-5 win by Frisco.
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Sports on 05/29/2017