SPRINGDALE -- Brooks Pounders showed glimpses of his talent in his first Naturals appearance in nearly two years Friday, but the start didn't work out the way the right-hander or his team wanted.
Pounders didn't give up a hit through the first three innings but allowed two earned runs in the fourth, didn't get any run support and took the loss as Springfield piled it on to beat Northwest Arkansas 11-1.
SPRINGFIELD 11, NW ARKANSAS 1
Springfield^000^204^–^11^9^1
NW Arkansas^000^000^010^–^1^6^2
Springfield^AB^R^H^RBI^BB^SO^LOB^AVG
Tilson, CF^6^1^1^1^0^1^5^.294
O’Neill, LF^3^1^0^1^3^1^4^.323
Garcia, A, DH^5^1^1^1^0^1^7^.274
Rodriguez, Jon, 1B^4^2^2^2^1^0^0^.279
Ohlman, C^5^1^2^2^0^0^1^.302
Wisdom, 3B^5^0^0^0^0^2^4^.269
Washington, RF^2^2^1^0^3^0^1^.264
Diaz, A, SS^5^2^2^1^0^0^3^.240
Valera, B, 2B^2^1^0^0^2^0^2^.238
Totals^37^11^9^8^9^5^27^
2B: Garcia, A (17), Ohlman (13). TB: Tilson; Rodriguez, Jon 2; Ohlman 3; Washington; Garcia, A 2; Diaz, A 2. RBI: Garcia, A (39), Rodriguez, Jon 2 (50), Diaz, A (30), Tilson (28), O’Neill (8), Ohlman 2 (58). GIDP: Garcia, A. Team RISP: 4-for-19. Team LOB: 9. SB: Rodriguez, Jon (8). FIELDING – E: Heyer (1).
NW Arkansas^AB^R^H^RBI^BB^SO^LOB^AVG
Mondesi, 2B^4^0^0^0^0^1^1^.234
Starling, RF^3^1^0^0^1^0^0^.276
Adams, L, CF^4^0^1^1^0^2^0^.289
Liddi, 1B^4^0^0^0^0^0^1^.271
Bonifacio, J, LF^4^0^0^0^0^1^0^.237
Dozier, 3B^4^0^1^0^0^2^0^.220
Torres, Ra, SS^3^0^2^0^1^0^0^.250
Morin, P, C^3^0^2^0^1^1^2^.347
Diekroeger, DH^4^0^0^0^0^2^5^.283
Totals^33^1^6^1^3^9^9^
2B: Adams, L (15). TB: Dozier; Torres, Ra 2; Morin, P 2; Adams, L 2. RBI: Adams, L (32). Team RISP: 1-for-5. Team LOB: 8. CS: Torres, Ra (4). FIELDING – E: Mondesi (10, fielding), Selman (1, throw). DP: (Dozier-Mondesi-Liddi).
PITCHING
Springfield^IP^H^R^ER^BB^SO^HR^ERA
Reyes, Ar (W, 7-6)^8.0^5^1^1^3^7^0^2.63
Heyer^1.0^1^0^0^0^2^0^5.06
NW Arkansas^IP^H^R^ER^BB^SO^HR^ERA
Pounders (L, 0-1)^4.2^3^2^2^3^3^0^3.86
Nina^1.1^2^4^3^4^0^0^6.87
Selman^1.2^4^5^0^0^1^0^5.93
Pruneda^1.1^0^0^0^2^1^0^4.56
WP: Pounders, Pruneda. PB: Morin, P (7). HBP: Valera, B (by Selman). Umpires: HP: Sean Allen. 1B: Ramon Hernandez. 3B: Derek Eaton. T: 3:08. Att: 5,889.
Pounders, a former second-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates, finally made it back to the Double-A level after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2013. He is now winless in 17 starts during his comeback.
The 24-year-old had a mixed night Friday, giving up the two earned runs on three hits and three walks with three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. While he started strong, he needed 93 pitches to work into the fifth inning and threw 40 balls.
"Early, I think he did all right," Naturals manager Vance Wilson said. "I thought he lost his mound composure a little bit, got frustrated. So, especially a guy coming back, you've got to stay within yourself. First couple innings were really good. I just thought he got a little tired."
Springfield starter Arturo Reyes, on the other hand, was impressive throughout and didn't allow a run until the eighth inning. The right-hander picked up the win, giving up just the one run on five hits and three walks while striking out seven.
Naturals center fielder Lane Adams' two-out, RBI double in the bottom of the eighth kept the game from being a shutout, but only cut the lead to 11-1 in a game that was close until the sixth inning.
Springfield designated hitter Anthony Garcia's RBI double in the top of the fourth was the first hit Pounders allowed. First baseman Jonathan Rodriquez' followed it up with a single the next at-bat to drive in Garcia, giving the Cardinals (49-56, 19-16 second half) had all the offense they needed as the Naturals struggled en route to losing their third straight. Rodriquez and catcher Michael Ohlman each had a team-high two RBIs for Springfield.
The Naturals (52-52, 12-22) didn't get a runner into scoring position until the fifth inning, a rare scoring opportunity they failed to take advantage of. The next inning, Naturals right-handed reliever Aroni Nina allowed four runs, three earned, as Springfield extended the lead to 6-0 and broke the game open.
Springfield tacked on five unearned runs against Naturals lefty Sam Selman in the top of the eighth.
Short Hops
Pounders, who is 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, routinely hit 91 and 92 miles per hour with his fastball during his four-plus innings of work. Nina hit 96 miles per hour on the stadium's radar.
Prior to being promoted back to the Naturals, Pounders was 0-1 with a 3.32 ERA in seven starts for three lower-level Naturals teams this year and 0-2 with a 4.40 ERA in nine starts in 2014. Before his injury, he was 5-7 with a 4.50 ERA for the Naturals in 2013.
The Naturals have played Springfield 10 times in the last 16 days. Springfield is 6-4 during the stretch.
Extra Bases: The Naturals' overall record dropped to .500 for the first time since April 28. ... Adams' eighth-inning double extended his hitting streak to 14 games, seven shy of Clint Robinson's team record of 21 set in 2010. ... The Naturals narrowly avoided being shutout for the fifth time in July.
On Deck: Game three of the four-game series is today at 6:05 p.m. The Naturals will throw right-hander Christian Binford (4-5, 4.76 ERA) against Springfield lefty Jimmy Reed (2-3, 3.30). The series finale is Sunday, but the homestand continues with a three-game series against Arkansas.
Promotions: Pink in the Park Night, Post-Game Fireworks Spectacular
On The Air: 1030-AM KFAY
On The Web: www.naturals.com
Sports on 08/01/2015