Big inning leads Tulsa past Northwest Arkansas

SPRINGDALE -- Alec Marsh picked right up where he left off from his sparkling Double-A debut on Friday evening, except for one inning.

Tulsa touched up the hard-throwing right-hander for four runs in the top of the fourth and that was enough as the Drillers notched a 4-2 win over Northwest Arkansas in front of 3,297 at Arvest Ballpark.

Marsh earned Double-A Central Pitcher of the Week, after tossing five hitless innings against Arkansas last week. The 22-year-old retired the first 10 hitters he faced on Friday, too.

But Tulsa (4-6) put together a walk and three consecutive hits in the top of the fourth to score four times. Ryan Noda's double over the center fielder's head gave the Drillers a 2-1 lead and Carlos Rincon followed with a two-run homer -- his third of the year.

Marsh (0-1) said walking a batter, after getting him down in the count 0-2, and missing his spot a couple times against a good fast-ball hitting team were the difference.

"We got away from our game plan for a couple pitches," Marsh said. "It's a fastball hitting team and every hit they had was off fastballs. I missed a couple pitches in. There were a couple two-strike pitches where we coulda went anything else pretty much.

"We ended up going heater and it ended up hurting us in that inning. I mean I thought I pitched pretty good. ... It's just a couple pitches hurt."

Marsh, the No. 12 rated prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization according to MLB pipeline, went six innings, allowing four runs (all earned) on just three hits, but was saddled with the loss. He struck out 11 and walked only one.

Northwest Arkansas manager Scott Thorman said Marsh can build off his performance.

"I thought Marsh pitched great tonight," Thorman said. "I thought he had excellent stuff. He got an 0-2 count worked to a walk, trying to be a little bit too fine ended up kinda blowing up on him a little bit. Three hits and those are the only three hits he's given up in Double-A so far.

"It was a good lesson to learn, I guess. I thought he settled down after that and threw the ball great again."

Four Tulsa pitchers combined to limit Northwest Arkansas (5-4) two runs on just just four hits. First baseman Nick Pratto led the way going 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run.

Dennicher Carrasco added a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth to get the Naturals within 4-2. But Drillers reliever Zach Willeman came on to get Dairon Blanco to line out to right field with runners at the corners to end the bottom of the sixth.

Willeman pitched 2.1 scoreless innings and Guillermo Zuniga struck out two in a scoreless ninth for the save to slam the door.