On a night littered with clunkers, the Arkansas Travelers were a smash hit.
Dario Pizzano and Kyle Lewis each hit three-run home runs and Williams Perez turned in another outstanding effort on the mound as the Travelers rocked Midland 9-1 in front of an announced crowd of 9,444 on Friday at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
Today’s game
ARKANSAS TRAVELERS VS. MIDLAND ROCKHOUNDS
WHEN 6:10 p.m.
WHERE Dickey-Stephens Park, North Little Rock
RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas
PITCHERS Travs: LHP Anthony Misiewicz (2-10, 5.96 ERA); RockHounds: RHP Ben Bracewell (3-7, 3.60 ERA)
TICKETS $12 box, $8 reserved ($5 kids), $6 general admission ($4 kids). Games open one hour before first pitch.
PROMOTIONS Pregame midget wrestling. First 1,000 fans receive a Beautiful Bobby Bobblehead
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY vs. Midland, 6:10 p.m.
SUNDAY vs. Midland, 2:10 p.m.
MONDAY Off
TUESDAY at Frisco, 7:05 p.m.
WEDNESDAY at Frisco, 7:05 p.m.
THURSDAY at Frisco, 7:05 p.m.
FRIDAY at Midland, 7 p.m.
LA Chargers at Arizona, 9 p.m.
A night after being held to a combined four hits in a doubleheader split with the Frisco RoughRiders, the Travelers banged out 12 hits against Midland starter Logan Shore (1-6) and reliever Corey Walter.
"Baseball is a funny game like that," said Pizzano, whose eighth home run of the season gave the Travs a 4-0 lead in the first inning. "We had four hits in 13 innings [Thursday]. He had one really hard-hit ball, and that was it. We came out today, and it was like we knew what we were missing. We wanted to get back to hitting."
The blast from Lewis traveled 419 feet and landed on the covered batting cages beyond the center-field wall in the fifth inning. The home run was his first as a Traveler and accounted for the game's final runs.
"I've been struggling, so that one felt good," said Lewis, the Mariners' first-round selection in the 2016 amateur draft. "I've just been trying to stick with it, and I was able to get one in the air today."
Friday was the Travelers' annual Clunker Car Night during which the club gives away used automobiles, some of which are in unappealing condition. Perez, a 27-year-old righthander from Acarigua, Venezuela, gave up very little.
Perez (4-1) allowed 4 hits and 1 run in 6 innings with 7 strikeouts and 2 walks. He has now worked into the sixth inning in his past four starts. The Travs improved to 8-1 when Perez has been the starting pitcher.
Perez made 31 starts with the Atlanta Braves in 2015 and 2016.
"When he throws all three of his pitches for strikes, the batters have no clue what's coming," Pizzano said. "There's a reason he's been in the big leagues before. I faced him way back in 2012 at Double-A in Mississippi. He's not a fun at-bat."
Matt Tenuta worked two scoreless innings. David McKay threw a perfect ninth to close out the Travelers' third victory in their past four games.
Chris Mariscal, Eric Filia, Yonathan Mendoza and Donnie Walton each posted two hits for the Travs.
Sports on 08/11/2018