Texas League baseball

SPRINGFIELD 6, ARKANSAS 5

The Springfield Cardinals built an early lead and was able to fend off a late rally from the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock on Saturday night.

Spencer Packard hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to give the Travelers their first lead at 4-3 after Springfield jumped out to an early 3-0 advantage. The Cardinals scored three runs in the top of the seventh to remain the lead at 6-4.

An RBI single by Packard in the seventh inning scored Grant Witherspoon to pull the Travelers to within 6-5, but Springfield Matt Svanson came on in the ninth and struck out two batters to preserve the win and earn the save.

Leonardo Taveras was the winning pitcher for the Cardinals, while Jarod Bayless was charged with the loss for Arkansas. Packard finished with two hits and three RBI to lead the Travelers’ hitters.

TULSA 11,

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS 4

The Drillers wiped out an early 4-0 lead and scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to roll to the win Saturday evening in Arvest Ballpark.

Trailing 4-3, Tulsa (2-0) scored seven runs on just two hits in the big eighth inning, but took advantage of seven walks, a hit batsman, a passed ball and a wild pitch by the Naturals. Northwest Arkansas reliever Noah Murdock did not retire a batter in the eighth and took the loss. He was being with three runs and walked five.

The Naturals scored twice in the third and two more in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead. River Town gave Northwest Arkansas a 2-0 lead with a two-run single Dillan Shrum added a run-scoring single in the fourth.

Naturals starter Mason Barnett, last year’s Paul Splittorff Award winner as the top pitcher in the Kansas City minor league system, opened the season with a strong start. He allowed a run on two hits over five and one-third innings. Barnett struck out eight and walked one.

Taylor Young, Jose Ramos and Griffin Lockwood-Powell had two hits each. Young homered, drove in three runs and scored two.