Taylor drives in four as Travelers salvage split

SPRINGDALE — Logan Taylor drove in four runs to help the Arkansas Travelers split a doubleheader with an 8-1 victory against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Arvest Ballpark on Tuesday.

It snapped the Naturals’ three-game winning streak after they grabbed a 4-0 victory in the opener.

Taylor got the Travelers on the board with a two-run home run to highlight a threerun second inning. His tworun double into left-center field added to the lead in the sixth inning.

Arkansas pitchers Spencer Herrmann, Matt Walker and Matt Tenuta combined for a six-hitter. Each pitched 21/3 innings — both games of the doubleheader were played in seven innings — with Walker picking up the win.

The Travelers’ lead grew to 5-0 when Joseph Odom punched a two-out, two-run single into the right-center field gap in the third inning. They added another run in the fourth on a Naturals error.

Nine-hole hitter Xavier Fernandez broke up the Travelers’ shutout bid with an RBI triple down the right-field line in the seventh inning. He

also hit a double off the rightfield wall to lead off the third inning, but he was unable to score as Herrmann induced a groundout and double play to end the threat.

Jesse Hahn started for the Naturals as part of a Major League rehab assignment. He threw just 10 pitches in his first appearance since September, giving up one hit in a scoreless first inning.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS 4, ARKANSAS 0

Nick Dini smashed a two-run home run, and left-hander Foster Griffin pitched 61/3 scoreless innings in relief to lift the Naturals. Griffin, who relieved Blaine Boyer with two outs in the first inning, allowed 2 hits while striking out 3 and walking 1. Boyer was on a Major League rehab assignment after being placed on the 10-day DL. He’s made 20 appearances for the Kansas City Royals this season. Khalil Lee led off the game with a solo home run, and Kelvin Gutierrez drove in the other run for Northwest Arkansas.