Travs handle Hooks after long road trip

TRAVELERS 2, HOOKS 0

The Arkansas Travelers returned from a 13-game road trip Thursday night and beat the Corpus Christi Hooks 2-0 at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.

It was the first game back since Tuesday’s Texas League All-Star Game, and it featured the league’s firsthalf champions from the North Division (Travs) and the South Division (Hooks).

Arkansas left-hander Spencer Herrmann (4-4, 4.73 ERA) earned the victory, pitching 3 relief innings with 4 strikeouts.

He replaced left-handed starter Anthony Misiewicz, who was activated Thursday from the 7-day disabled list. He was first placed on the DL on June 3, and he said he had a strained muscle in his pitching arm.

It was the second time the Travs shutout an opponent this season, dating back to its 1-0 victory over Springfield on May 13.

“That’s just throwing in the zone, getting quick outs and throwing effective stuff,” said Misiewicz, who said he was limited to 65 pitches. “They picked me up. They pick up the slack every time, so it’s great.”

The Hooks nearly scored the game’s first run in the top of the fourth, when second baseman Alex De Goti singled with two outs. The next batter, right fielder Carmen Benedetti, doubled to left field, and De Goti rounded third while Travs left fielder Chuck Taylor threw the baseball to shortstop Yonathan Mendoza.

Mendoza spun, threw, and caught De Goti out at home to prevent the run.

That allowed the Travs to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, when second baseman Donnie Walton’s sacrifice fly to center field

drove in designated hitter Eric Filia.

Filia hit an RBI single in the sixth to extend the lead to 2-0.

Filia went on a shortlived, round-trip journey to the Boston Red Sox organization, back when the Seattle Mariners announced him as the player to be named later June 16 for a trade that included big league reliever Roenis Elias.

The Red Sox returned Filia to the Mariners due to a failed physical. Boston instead received cash considerations.

Filia returned to Arkansas in time to play the final four games of the first half of the Texas League season, when the Travs clinched their first playoff berth since 2015.