Travelers take first 3 in series

Entering their four-game series with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the Arkansas Travelers had not won more than one game in a series this season.

But the Travelers were able to take advantage of Naturals starting pitcher Justin Marks early, scoring three runs in the first inning on their way to a 7-1 seven-inning victory in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday at Dickey-stephens Park in North Little Rock.

The Travs won the second game 10-3, extending their winning streak to four games. Arkansas earned its first series victory this season after losing its first four.

Arkansas won its third consecutive game Saturday. Friday’s game was rained out, forcing the doubleheader.

The Travs were led by catcher Alberto Rosario, who went 2 for 3 with a home run. First baseman Roberto Lopez went 1 for 2 with a threerun double in the bottom of the first. Right fielder Ryan Mount was 1 for 2 and hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth, his first of the season.

Arkansas was hitting .175 as a team entering Thursday, the worst batting average in the Texas League. However, the Travs have scored 13 runs in the first two games of the series, which is encouraging for first-year Manager Mike Micucci.

“The other night [Thursday] kind of put some confidence into the guys,” Micucci said. “They came out today. We got into a situation where we were able to get the big hit.”

Right-hander Orangel Arenas (1-1) allowed 1 run on 5 hits in 6 innings for his first victory of the season. Arenas, who went 2-0 against the Naturals last season, struck out 8 and walked 2 in 81 pitches.

“You go out and look and there were three times we scored, and all three times we came back out and put up a zero,” Micucci said. “The shutdown inning after you score is so important to keep your momentum up. He did a good job with that.”

On Thursday, the Travs scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Naturals 6-5. In the bottom of the first inning, Arkansas picked up where it left off from Thursday.

Center fielder Matt Long led off with a walk and second baseman Darwin Perez singled off Marks to put runners on first and second with no outs. Shortstop Jean Segura struck out for the first out. With left fielder Adam Heether at the plate, the Travs executed a double steal with Perez stealing second and Long going to third. Heether walked to load the bases for Lopez, whose three-run double into the left field gap made it 3-0 Travs.

Arkansas scored three more runs in the bottom of the fourth for a 6-0 lead. Lopez walked and Mount followed with a line drive two-run home run to right field for a 5-0 lead. Casey Haerther hit a one-out single and Rosario doubled. Haerther scored on Long’s sacrifice fly to stretch the Travs’ lead to 6-0.

In the top of the sixth, center fielder Wil Myers hit a first-pitch home run off Arenas to left center field to pull the Naturals within 6-1. But Rosario followed in the bottom of the inning with his first home run of the season, this one to left field, to cap the Travs’ scoring.

Marks (0-1) gave up 6 runs on 5 hits, struck out 2

2 and walked 3 in 3 / innings.

3 Catcher Ben Theriot finished 2 for 2 to lead the Naturals.

In the second game, Arkansas scored all 10 runs in the first three innings — five in the first, three in the second and two in the third.

Osuna led the Travs offensively, going 4 for 4 with a two-run double. Segura finished 2 for 4 with 2 triples and 3 RBI. Mount was 2 for 4 with a two-run home run.

Travs left-hander Greg Smith allowed 3 runs on 6 hits and struck out 6 in 7 innings.

For the Naturals, Johnny Whittleman went 2 for 3 with a two-run home run.