NATURALS 6, CARDINALS 3
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals used a three-run fourth inning to grab the lead and cruised to the win over the Springfield Cardinals on Friday night at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.
Javier Vaz went 2 for 4 and drove in three runs, for the Naturals while Tyler Tolbert added two hits. Cayden Wallace (Greenbrier, Arkansas Razorbacks) also scored twice.
The Cardinals jumped in front with two runs in the top of the first. Victor Scott II and Noah Mendinger started with back-to-back singles and Scott stole third. Pedro Pages got Springfield on the board with a groundout to score Scott. Mendinger also scored on a balk by Naturals starter Mason Barnett for a 2-0 Cardinals lead.
But Northwest Arkansas got a solo home run from Tolbert in the bottom of the first and three runs in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead.
Dillan Shrum was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Peyton Wilson to tie the game at 2-2. Vaz followed with a two-run single for a 4-2 Naturals lead. A bases-loaded groundout by Wade Staus sliced the Naturals' lead to 4-3 in the top of the sixth.
But Vaz added an RBI single in the sixth to push the Northwest Arkansas lead back to 5-3.
Barnett (1-1) picked up the win for the Naturals. He allowed 2 runs on 4 hits over 5 innings, while striking out 6 and walking 2.