The Arkansas Travelers have enjoyed the best start so far in the Texas League.
However, on Monday night, the Travelers could not manufacture its 13th victory of the season, losing 4-0 to the Frisco RoughRiders in front of an announced crowd of 2,109 at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
The Travs, who are 12-5 after Monday's game and lead the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in the Texas League North Division by 3 1/2 games, stranded eight baserunners and went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.
"We had some opportunities to score some runs," Travs Manager Mitch Canham said. "It was a tight ballgame. But those kinds of things are going to happen."
Left-hander Ricardo Sanchez took his first loss in four outings this season. Sanchez (3-1) allowed 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 6 and not walking a batter in 6 2/3 innings.
Sanchez, the Seattle Mariners' No. 23 prospect according to mlb.com, has a 1.08 ERA in 25 innings. He's allowed 18 hits, struck out 23 and walked 4.
"He's done phenomenal," Canham said. "Every time he takes the mound, he finds a way to go deep into the ballgame and eliminate free bases. He's extremely competitive. He always puts us in a great spot to go win a ballgame."
Sanchez allowed his only run with two outs in the top of the fourth inning when Charles Leblanc came home on a fielder's choice, but Juremi Profar was caught in a rundown between first and second base to end the inning.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Travs had an opportunity to tie the game.
Nick Zammarelli led off with a bunt single off Frisco reliever Jake Lemoine. Donnie Walton followed with a base hit to left field. Joe DeCarlo struck out for the first out of the inning. Then, Walton and Zammarelli advanced to second and third base, respectively, on Lemoine's wild pitch with David Sheaffer at the plate.
On the next pitch, Lemoine (2-0) got Sheaffer to line into a double play at second base to end the inning. Frisco second baseman Christian Lopes caught Sheaffer's liner, then threw to the third baseman Leblanc, who tagged Zammarelli to end the inning.
"We were going on contact right there," Canham said. "Sheaffer squared it up and hit it right to the guy. We had our guys in motion. If it was a ground ball, we were going to give ourselves a chance at home. Zam had a good read on it. Just some bad luck right there."
Frisco added three runs in the top of the ninth inning for a 4-0 lead on Eliezer Alvarez's two-run single to right field and Brendon Davis' RBI groundout.
Walton and Kyle Lewis each had two hits to lead the Travs offensively. Cowan had the Travs' only extra-base hit, a double in the bottom of the fourth inning against Frisco starting pitcher Brock Burke.
Alvarez, Leblanc and Profar had two hits apiece for the RoughRiders, who outhit the Travs 9-6.
Sports on 04/23/2019