Naturals sweep doubleheader with Drillers

SPRINGDALE — Logan Moon knew he had to hurry home when Samir Duenez hit a ground ball directly to Tulsa second baseman Jose Fernandez.

Fernandez, however, bobbled the ball just enough to allow Moon to cross the plate for the winning run Saturday as Northwest Arkansas rallied for a 3-2 victory over Tulsa in the first game of a Texas League doubleheader at Arvest Ballpark.

“I was hoping it was going to be slow enough where, if he fielded it, I could maybe slide in there safely,” Moon said. “Once I saw him bobble it, I knew it was game over.

“Once you see it on the ground, you duck your head and go. I peeked up and saw him bobble it, then I knew not to slide.”

Moon led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a solid single to center and moved to second on Ruben Sosa’s sacrifice bunt. Donnie Dewees Jr. then hit a grounder to second, but beat Matt Beaty’s throw to first for an infield single to put runners at the corners with one out.

Tulsa elected to intentionally walk Alfredo Escalera and face Duenez with a drawn-in infield for a possible force out at the plate. The Drillers got what they wanted when Duenez hit the ball to Fernandez, but the bobble only allowed him to throw to first — for the second out of the inning as Moon came home.

“I think the biggest thing is the pitching and catching

were outstanding,” Naturals manager Vance Wilson said. “Binford was keeping us in it until the offense could get something going. Obviously we took advantage of a couple of their mistakes, but the guys were aggressive and played hard.”

Northwest Arkansas had nothing to show for its earlier scoring chances through the first five innings. Tulsa, meanwhile, scored in the second inning when Fernandez hit a solo home run in the second, then made it 2-0 on Kyle

Garlick’s two-out RBI double in the fifth.

The Naturals, however, loaded the bases with consecutive singles by Escalera, Duenez and Frank Schwindel to open the sixth. Tulsa appeared to be out of the inning unscathed after Mauricio Ramos fouled out to first and Humberto Arteaga grounded to second, but Fernandez threw wildly to first on an attempt to complete the double play, allowing both Escalera and Duenez to come home with the tying runs.

Sam Selman (1-1) retired the only batter he faced in the seventh and recorded the win.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS 5, TULSA 3

The Naturals did all of their offensive damage in the second and third innings in order to sweep Saturday’s doubleheader against the Drillers and clinch their first series of the season.

Northwest Arkansas (7-8) spotted Tulsa (6-9) a home run by Garlick in the first inning, then took the lead for good in the second. Terrance Gore tied it when he singled past a diving Wynston Sawyer to drive in Humberto Arteaga, who reached on a walk, then Dewees belted a two-run triple into the gap in right-center field to give the Naturals a 3-1 cushion.

Schwindel followed a third-inning Tulsa error with a double to drive in Duenez, then he scored Northwest Arkansas’ final run on a single by Arteaga.

Corey Ray (1-1) allowed just four hits and struck out six over five innings, but three of those hits were solo home runs. Luis Rico pitched out of a two-on, noout jam in the sixth, and Evan Beal threw a perfect seventh for his second save.