Travelers split home series with Springfield Cardinals

NORTH LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Travelers began their weekend home series with two wins against the Springfield Cardinals, but the visitors answered with consecutive victories at Dickey-Stephens Park.

Arkansas (51-47) now has a six-game lead over Springfield (44-56) in the second half standings. The Travelers tied with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (42-56) for the first-half lead at 35-35.

The Tulsa Drillers (54-45) are 20-9 in the second half of the season. Arkansas is 16-12, Springfield (44-56) is 11-19 and Northwest Arkansas is 7-21.

The Drillers took three out of four games a week ago against the Travelers in Tulsa. Arkansas swept Springfield in four games in the previous series in North Little Rock.

The Travelers extended their winning streak over the Cardinals to eight games. They won, 10-4 and 5-3, on Thursday and Friday to open the series.

First baseman Joey Curletta hit two home runs and drove in four runs to lead Arkansas in the 10-4 win. The home runs gave Curletta five in his last three games to lead the Texas League in home runs and RBIs.

Curletta is tied for the Texas League lead with 20 home runs with Tulsa center fielder D.J. Peters. He also leads the lead in RBIs with 73, ranks third in slugging percentage at .540 and ninth in batting average at .299. Designated hitter Dario Pizzano is second on the Travelers and 10th in the league at .295.

The Travelers and Cardinals were tied in the fifth inning on Thursday before Curletta hit a towering two-run shot to left-center field to put the home team on top for good. His first home run of the game gave Arkansas a 1-0 lead in the second on a no-doubt shot to left field. He narrowly missed hitting two more home runs in his final two plate appearances of the night.

Williams Perez (2-0, 2.93 ERA) earned the win in his return to Arkansas after making his four most recent starts with Triple-A Tacoma. Perez allowed two earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Springfield threatened in the sixth inning with two on, but Spencer Herrmann came out of the bullpen to get a strikeout and end the threat.

Arkansas took control with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on two hits, a hit batter, four walks and a sacrifice fly.

Third baseman Logan Taylor matched a career-best with a 4-for-5 night at the plate as part of a 14-hit attack. He also scored a run.

Center fielder Beau Amaral was 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs, two doubles and an RBI.

Anthony Misiewicz (2-7, 5.46) worked through five innings, retiring 10 consecutive batters at one point, on Friday as the Travelers topped the Cardinals, 5-3, in a rain-shortened seven inning game. He finished with two runs allowed, one earned, on two hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

The game was put into a delay in the top of the seventh inning with two outs and was called about 55 minutes later, just before heavy rain fell on the ballpark.

Arkansas scored twice in each of the first two innings with left fielder Eric Filia driving in a run in both frames. His bouncer up the middle scored the game’s opening run after two walks in the first inning.

Springfield tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the second inning, but the Travelers responded with two more runs on consecutive RBI hits by Filia and Curletta. Lane Thomas hit a home run in the top of the sixth inning, but Arkansas again answered

as Chuck Taylor hit in Amaral, who reached base on a double.

Amaral was 1-for-3 with a walk and a double, scoring three runs. He is third on the team in RBIs with 48.

Filia was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. He is batting .311 in 41 games for Arkansas this season.

Arkansas could not keep pace with Springfield on Saturday as the Cardinals matched season-high marks for runs and hits in a 13-7 road victory at Dickey-Stephens Park. A four-run first inning put the Travelers in a hole from which they never recovered.

Johan Mieses and Andrew Knizner each hit home runs in the first inning. A three-run home run by Arkansas’ Donnie Walton in the fourth inning cut the margin to two runs, the least of the game after the opening frame.

Springfield hit back-to-back homers with two out in the first as Johan Mieses and Andrew Knizner went deep to push the lead to four. The Travelers left the bases loaded in the second inning when Blake Drake robbed Chuck Taylor with a diving catch on his line drive to center field. The bags were left full again in the fifth inning as Arkansas stranded 13 runners in the game.

The loss spoiled the Double-A debut for top Mariners prospect Kyle Lewis, who batted sixth as the designated hitter. Lewis was 2-for-3 with a walk, hit-by-pitch, two runs scored and two RBIs.

Walton drove in a career-best four runs. He finished 2-for-4 with a run and a walk. Logan Taylor was 3-for-4 with a walk, a run and an RBI.

Anthony Shew (5-5, 4.10) pitched six innings Sunday to lead three Springfield pitchers in a 4-0 shutout. Shew battled through early command issues but kept the Travelers off the board before Junior Fernandez and Derian Gonzalez finished off the five-hit shutout.

The Travelers procured four base runners in the second inning but failed to score. A double play with two runners on slowed the momentum before two walks loaded the bases, but Chuck Taylor fouled out to end the inning.

Springfield responded by scoring twice in the third inning to take the lead. Arkansas again loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth, but Chuck Taylor lined out to center field to end the inning.

Ashton Goudeau (0-1, 2.70) made his debut for the Travelers with 6 2/3 innings pitched, allowing two earned runs and three runs overall on seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks.

Pizzano, playing first base, was 2-for-3 with a walk.