Mejia blasts Naturals past 'Riders

SPRINGDALE -- A baseball team's biggest fear about an offensive eruption like Northwest Arkansas enjoyed Friday night is not having little or no offensive production the following game.

Erick Mejia took care of any of those worries Saturday night. The Naturals' leadoff hitter belted a deep three-run home run in the fifth inning, and that propelled Northwest Arkansas to a 6-2 victory over Frisco before 3,997 at Arvest Ballpark.

"I was just trying to put the ball in play and help us score," Mejia said. "I'm not thinking home run when I'm up there batting. I just want to put it in play and hit the ball hard like I do. I just happen to put a good swing on the ball, and it happened."

Frisco (52-67 overall, 28-21 second half) took a 1-0 lead on Jose Cardona's home run to start the fourth, but everything changed in the bottom of the fifth. Corey Toups led off the inning with a double into the gap in right-center field, then he moved to third when Xavier Hernandez looped a single to right.

That set the stage for Mejia, who swung early on the first pitch from Yohander Mendez (1-1) and fouled it out of play to his left. His timing, however, was perfect on the following pitch as he lifted it over the Rough'Riders bullpen for his first home run since May 18 and put the Naturals (57-61, 22-26) ahead to stay.

"He threw me a slider on the first pitch, and I was looking for something offspeed," Mejia said. "He had been working with me and threw me a changeup. He threw it to me again, and he made a mistake."

Foster Griffin (8-12) overcame Cardona's home run to pick up his fifth straight win and his fifth quality outing in as many appearance. The left-hander, how 4-1 in his career over Frisco, allowed just seven hits over 6.1 innings and struck out five, and he left the game after back-to-back one-out singles by Josh Morgan and Juremi Profar.

Walker Sheller took over and finished the inning without allowing Frisco a chance to score. The right-hander finished the game and picked up his first save, with his only blemish being a solo home run by Eleizer Alvarez to start the eighth.

"The fastball command was pretty good, and the changeup was the pitch that was really working," Griffin said. "They are a very aggressive team. They swing early and swing often. They're not like most teams that work the counts, and we knew that ahead of time."

Short Hops:

• Alex Liddi gave the Naturals some insurance in the bottom of the seventh when he belted a three-run home run, his 20th of the season. It came after a triple by Samir Duenez and a walk to Kelvin Gutierrez, all coming with two out.

• Jacksson Flores ended a pair of 'Riders threats when he fielded two ground balls and started double plays, and right fielder Alfredo Escalera made an outstanding defensive play with a diving catch of Morgan's sinking line drive in the sixth.

• Frisco reliever Anthony Gose, who pitched in Friday's game, was tossed by home plate umpire Jeff Gorman in the seventh after something was said in the 'Riders dugout following the triple off the right-center field wall by Duenez.

On Deck: The two teams will complete their three-game series, with first pitch scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Left-hander Luis Lugo (0-1, 6.75 ERA) will start on the mound for Northwest Arkansas, while Frisco counters with right-hander Pedro Payano (4-8, 5.90).

Today's Promotion: It's "Kids Eat Free Family Sunday" and all fans 12 and under will receive a voucher for a meal, courtesy of Tyson Foods, Ball Park Buns, Mondelez International and Coca-Cola. Kids can also run around the bases after the game. It's also "Bark in the Ballpark," as fans can bring their dogs to the game, and contests will be held for biggest, smallest and best-dressed dogs.

On The Air: KQSM-FM 92.1

On The Web: www.nwanaturals.com

Sports on 08/12/2018

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