TEXAS LEAGUE

White Hall graduate Zuber thrills supporters vs. Travs

NW Arkansas Naturals pitcher Tyler Zuber (White Hall/Arkansas State)
NW Arkansas Naturals pitcher Tyler Zuber (White Hall/Arkansas State)

Tyler Zuber had to wait one night before he got what he wanted -- a chance to pitch professionally near his hometown and with nearly everyone he's ever met watching closely.

The 24-year-old closer for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals didn't take the mound in Monday night's 4-2 loss to the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park.

Today’s game

ARKANSAS TRAVELERS VS. NW ARKANSAS NATURALS

WHEN 7:10 p.m.

WHERE Dickey-Stephens Park, North Little Rock

RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas

WEBSITE travs.com

PITCHERS Travelers: RH Nabil Crismatt (2-5, 2.17 ERA); Naturals: RH Jackson Kowar (1-1, 1.04 ERA)

TICKETS $12 box seats, $8 reserved, $6 general admission ($1 higher on game day). Gates open one hour before first pitch.

PROMOTIONS Diamantes Night

SHORT HOPS First baseman Evan White and right-handed pitcher Justin Dunn were activated from the Temporary Inactive List on Tuesday. The two returned to the Travs after participating in the All-Star Futures Game on Sunday night in Cleveland. As a result, right-handed pitcher Scott Boches was sent back down to Class A Modesto and catcher Brennon Kaleiwahea was sent back to the Arizona League Mariners.

THE WEEK AHEAD

TODAY vs. NW Arkansas, 7:10 p.m.

THURSDAY at Springfield, 7:10 p.m.

FRIDAY at Springfield, 7:10 p.m.

SATURDAY at Springfield, 6:10 p.m.

SUNDAY at Springfield, 6:10 p.m.

MONDAY Off

TUESDAY vs. Midland, 7:10 p.m.

Twenty-four hours later, he did.

Zuber, a White Hall High School product and former Arkansas State University star, pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts Tuesday to help the Naturals ice a 2-1 victory over the Travelers. The Naturals tied the three-game series at 1-1.

Afterward, Zuber soaked in every bit of it next to the Naturals ' dugout on the third-base line, as he was bombarded by the dozens of friends and family who had traveled to bear witness to the moment.

"It ranks up there pretty high," Zuber said of moments in his career. "Just to have friends and family see me pitch, it's awesome to see and awesome just to have this group around me that believes in me. Anytime I can pitch in front of them, I love it."

Zuber estimated he had more than 50 family members and friends in attendance Monday. Nearly all of them came back Tuesday, and as Zuber exited the right-field bullpen before the bottom of the ninth, many stood and boisterously cheered for him.

"Honestly, when I heard them yelling, I was like, 'Oh boy -- I can't disappoint them now,' " Zuber said.

He knew he still had a job to do. That brief jog to the mound was now a thing of the past.

Zuber was clinical against the first two batters, striking out Travs center fielder Dom Thompson-Williams and left fielder Kyle Lewis. But with two outs, designated hitter Nick Zammarelli ripped a double into the deep right-field corner.

"In my head, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, are you kidding me?' " Zuber said. "But I settled in, knew what I had to do, and I knew that if I executed my pitches to the next guy -- he's a right-handed hitter -- so I knew the advantage was in my hands."

Zuber calmly got Travs catcher Joseph Odom to line out to left field, sealing his third save with the Naturals this year.

Hours before he got to take the mound, Zuber said this three-game series in North Little Rock felt "like a reunion." He was just called up from Class A Wilmington last month during the minor-league All-Star break.

Zuber, a sixth-round draft pick by the Royals in 2017, won a state championship at White Hall, a 30-minute drive south, as a junior in 2012.

He didn't go far for college ball, either. Zuber was a star at ASU, where he posted the fourth-best ERA (2.06) and totaled the second-most strikeouts (258) in program history.

His college head coach, Tommy Raffo, was in attendance Tuesday.

"Just really thrilled for him and his family -- to be able to pitch in front of a lot of familiar faces," Raffo said. "I know how much that means to him. He looked good tonight."

For the second consecutive night, Zuber stayed on the field well past the game's end, posing for photos and signing autographs.

It was a moment he didn't take for granted.

"I enjoy it, because it's almost like it's a platform. It's bigger than baseball," Zuber said. "Now, you're not just a baseball player. You're a role model -- you're someone that kids can look up to."

NW ARK. AB R H BI ARKANSAS AB R H BI

Burt, lf 5 0 1 0 Walton, ss 3 0 1 1

Lee, cf 5 1 1 0 White, 1b 4 0 1 0

Cancel, 1b 4 1 2 0 T-Williams, cf 4 0 0 0

Rivera, 3b 3 0 1 1 Lewis, lf 4 0 0 0

Viloria, c 4 0 1 1 Zammarelli, dh 3 0 1 0

Feathrstn, ss 4 0 0 0 Odom, c 4 0 0 0

Miller, dh 3 0 0 0 Cowan, 2b 3 0 0 0

Peterson, rf 4 0 0 0 Ahmed, 3b 2 1 1 0

Castellano, 2b 3 0 2 0 Knapp, rf 3 0 0 0

TOTALS 35 2 8 2 TOTALS 30 1 4 1

NW Arkansas 101 000 000 -- 2 8 1

Arkansas 000 010 000 -- 1 4 0

E -- Burt. DP -- NW Arkansas 1. LOB -- NW Arkansas 9, Arkansas 5. 2B -- Castellano, Zammarelli. SB -- Castellano.

NW ARK. IP H R ER BB SO

Gomez W, 6-6 7 3 1 0 2 7

Ogando 1 0 0 0 0 1

Zuber S, 3 1 1 0 0 0 2

ARKANSAS IP H R ER BB SO

Sheffield L, 2-1 6 8 2 2 2 5

Tuivailala 1 0 0 0 0 1

Mills 2 0 0 0 1 5

WP -- Sheffield. HBP -- by Gomez (Zammarelli). Umpires -- Home: Gorman; First: Olson; Third: Carroll. Time -- 2:40. Attendance -- 3,032.

Sports on 07/10/2019

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