Northwest Arkansas tops Springfield

SPRINGDALE — Northwest Arkansas used one big inning to defeat Springfield on Friday.

The Naturals scored seven runs in the fourth inning and downed the Cardinals 9-3 before a crowd of 5,855 at Arvest Ballpark. Nick Heath and Khahlil Lee hit backto-back doubles for Northwest Arkansas, which collected seven hits in the inning and sent 11 batters to the plate.

Northwest Arkansas (17-23) evened the series after Springfield (18-23) won the opener 10-4 on Thursday.

Ofreidy Gomez (2-3) got off to a rough start when the Cardinals tagged him for two runs on four hits in the first inning, including a home run by Dylan Carlson. But Gomez settled down and did not allow another run while pitching into the seventh inning. He struck out five and allowed five hits before being replaced by Emilio Ogando with two outs in the seventh.

Northwest Arkansas scored two runs in the third inning without the benefit of a hit. The first came home after a throwing error by catcher Brian O’Keefe on a double steal by Heath and Lee and the second run scored on a sacrifice fly by Gabriel Cancel.

Northwest Arkansas then broke the game open with seven runs in the fourth inning to take a 9-2 lead. Springfield had two errors in the inning and three for the game.

SHORT HOPS

■ Northwest Arkansas battered

Springfield starter Williams Perez for 10 hits and nine runs in 31/3 innings. Perez (4-2) was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 6-12 when he went 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA.

■ Taylor Featherston struck out twice in the fourth inning when Northwest Arkansas scored seven runs and sent 11 men to the plate. It was a rough night for Featherston, who also struck out in the second and seventh innings.

■ Right-hander Angel Rondon will make his first start for Springfield in Double-A today after being promoted from High-A Palm Beach, Fla., where he was 4-1 with a 2.04 ERA.

On Deck: Right-hander Connor Greene (3-2, 3.80 ERA) will take the mound for Northwest Arkansas today against Springfield right-hander Angel Rondon (0-0, 0.00 ERA).

Today’s Promotions: The first 1,500 fans into the park will receive a Whit Merrifield bobblehead. Merrifield is a former Northwest Arkansas player and current star with the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals will hold a free youth baseball clinic at the ballpark from 2-3:45 p.m. The clinic is for children ages 6-12. On The Air: KQSM-FM 92.1 On The Web: www.nwa naturals.com