SPRINGDALE -- Mike Bianucci made his one plate appearance on Tuesday count.
Bianucci delivered a pinch-hit RBI single with one out in the ninth inning to give Northwest Arkansas a 6-5 victory over Springfield in Texas League action at Arvest Ballpark.
SPRINGFIELD^NW ARKANSAS
AB^R^H^RBI^AB^R^H^BI
Tilson cf^5^0^1^0^Coleman ss^4^1^1^0
Valera 2b^5^0^1^0^Franco 2b^4^1^1^2
Wilson 3b^5^1^1^0^Bonifacio rf^4^0^0^0
Rodriguez 1b^3^1^2^0^Liddi 1b^4^1^10
Diaz ss^3^0^1^0^Dozier 3b^3^2^1^1
Garcia lf^3^0^0^0^Starling cf^2^1^0^0
Ohlman c^4^1^3^2^Nessy c^3^0^1^0
Wisdom dh^3^0^0^0^Bianucci ph^1^0^1^1^
Washington ph-dh^1^0^1^1^Chapman lf^3^0^0^0
Totals^34^5^11^4^Totals^32^6^9^6
Springfield^000^012^002^—^5^11^0
NW Arkansas^000^401^001^—6^9^2
E — Coleman 2. DP — NW Arkansas 3, Springfield 1. 2B — Dozier. 3B — Rodriguez. HR — Franco (2). SB — Tillman 2 (8), Fuenmayor (1). CS — Valera.
SPRINGFIELD^IP^H^R^ER^BB^SO
Lee^6^7^5^5^2^4
Wright^1^0^0^0^0^1
Baker, L 1-2^12/3^2^1^1^1^2
NW ARKANSAS^IP^H^R^ER^BB^SO
Dziedzic^52/3^7^3^3^2^0
Selman^11/3^1^0^0^2^1
Nina, W 1-0^2^3^2^1^1^2
Umpires — Eaton, Fields, Hernandez. Time: 2:42. Att. — 2897
Springfield scored two runs in the top of ninth inning and tied the game when Dusty Coleman's throw on a potential double play ball skipped past first base for an error. But in the bottom half of the frame, Bianucci battled back from a 1-2 count and singled past short to score Bubba Starling, who walked and moved to second base on a single by Balbino Fuenmayor, who had three hits to lead the Naturals.
"(Bianucci) is a veteran bat and he's obviously having a heck of a first month," Northwest Arkansas manager Vance Wilson said. "This was his day off, but he knows to be ready. Any time you have that kind of experience coming off the bench it's big."
Angel Franco hit a two-run home run and Hunter Dozier had a run-scoring double in the fourth inning when Northwest Arkansas took a 4-0 lead. Springfield outhit Northwest Arkansas 11-9, but the Naturals completed three of the game's four double plays.
Jonathan Dziedzic overcame a shaky first inning and pitched 5/23 innings for the Naturals (9-9), who climbed to .500 after starting 2-5 on the season. The Cardinals loaded the bases in the first but did not score against Dziedzic, who issued a leadoff single and two walks in the inning.
"(Dziedzic) knows how to keep you in the game," Wilson said. "He was outstanding and gave us what we needed."
Franco broke a scoreless tie with a home run to score Coleman, who led off with a single. Dozier drove in Alex Liddi with a double to deep center field then scored the fourth run of the inning.
Springfield got to within 4-3 in the sixth before left fielder Ethan Chapman threw out the potential tying run at the plate to end the inning. Springfield scored its first run in the fifth inning when Starlin Rodriguez led off with a triple and scored on a single by Michael Ohlman.
Short hops
• Northwest Arkansas starter Jonathan Dziedzic threw 92 pitches with 60 of them for strikes. He walked two and did not strike out a batter.
• Naturals reliever Sam Selman walked consecutive batters and gave up an RBI single in the sixth inning before Chapman threw out a runner at the plate from left field to prevent the tying run from scoring.
• Hunter Dozier, who went 2 for 4 in Monday's win over the Cardinals, struck out twice before drawing a walk in the sixth inning. He was then thrown out at the plate while trying to score on an RBI single by Balbino Fuenmayor.
Extra bases: Springfield's roster includes pitcher Heath Wyatt, who was born in Searcy and played collegiately at Southeastern Oklahoma State. Wyatt, who pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings against the Naturals on Monday, played last year at Triple-A Memphis where he was 1-2 with a 4.34 ERA in 45 games. ... Springfield loaded the bases in the first inning but did not score against Jonathan Dziedzic, who covered first base for the final out after a grounder to the right side.
On Deck: The Naturals will host the Cardinals today in a game that begins at 11:05 a.m. Gates open at 10 a.m. Right-hander Andy Ferguson (Benton/Arkansas State) will start for the Naturals against left-hander Kyle Hald for the Cardinals. Ferguson is 1-0 with a 0.64 ERA while Hald is 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA.
Promotions: Ticket discounts for groups of children on Swepco School Days
On The Air: KQSM-FM 92.1
On The Web: www.naturals.com
Sports on 04/29/2015