Travelers, Naturals tied atop Texas League North standings
NORTH LITTLE ROCK — A sloppy top of the sixth inning Tuesday doomed the Arkansas Travelers against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and cost them sole possession of first place in the Texas League’s North division.
The Travelers (32-32) took a two-game lead in the division on Sunday over the Naturals (32-32) and the Springfield Cardinals (31-33). The Tulsa Drillers (30-34) are two games back in the close division.
Sunday’s 11-5 win was Arkansas’ only victory in the four-game home series against the in-state rivals. The Naturals won, 7-4, on Tuesday at Dickey-Stephens Park to win the series.
Six games remain in the first half of the season.
Tuesday started with the news that the Travelers’ three-hole hitter, Eric Filia, had been traded by the Seattle Mariners to the Boston Red Sox. Designated hitter Dario Pizzano replaced Filia in the lineup and later opened the scoring with a tworun double.
Donnie Dewees singled home the Naturals’ first run of the game with two outs in the fifth, took second base on the throw and went to third base on an error. He then scored on a passed ball.
After three hits opened the sixth inning, a pair of walks forced in the tying run. With two outs and the bases loaded, a routine ground ball to Chris Mariscal at second base was mishandled. A late throw to first base allowed the go-ahead run to score.
Another walk followed, forcing in another run. Another error, this time on a ground ball to Joey Curletta at first base, plated the fifth run of the inning.
Center fielder Braden Bishop was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Left fielder Chuck Taylor was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run. Pizzano finished 1-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.
The Naturals shut out the host, 1-0, on Monday night.
Both teams made several key defensive plays, but a defensive mistake turned out to be the difference. A throwing error on a ball being returned to the infield allowed a runner to advance into scoring position with that man later scoring for the only run of the night in the fifth inning.
Jecksson Flores singled to open the inning and moved to second base when Taylor’s return throw to the infield came in on a hop and evaded Mariscal. Flores scored two pitches later on a base hit from Anderson Miller.
The Travelers’ offense missed several good opportunities, including two on with no outs in two of the first three innings. They finished the night 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and hit into three double plays.
Bishop was 3-for-4 and shortstop Yonathan Mendoza hit 3-for-3. Arkansas starter Max Povse (2-2) allowed only the one unearned run on six hits with two walks and a strikeout in eight full innings.
A late offensive surge carried the Travelers to their only win of the series on Sunday afternoon. Both teams rallied from deficits to take leads in the game with the Travelers’ final rally coming in the seventh inning thanks to an infield hit, three walks and a hit batsman.
The Arkansas bullpen of Daniel Schlereth, David McKay and Matt Festa combined to surrender only an unearned run over 3 1/3 innings. Four relievers for the Naturals gave up seven runs in the last three innings.
Arkansas jumped out quickly as Bishop doubled in the first inning and later scored on Filia’s RBI hit. The Travelers trailed in the fifth inning but tied the score on a two-out RBI hit from Pizzano.
The tying and go-ahead runs in the seventh innings came on a bases loaded walk by Mariscal against Sam Selman and a bases loaded hit by pitch of catcher Joe DeCarlo against Franco Terrero.
A five-run eighth inning put the Travs in command as they sent 10 men to the plate and connected for six hits.
Filia played right field in the game and hit 4-for-4 with a double, a walk, two runs and two RBIs. Bishop hit 2-for-4 with a double, a hit-by-pitch and two runs. Pizzano finished 3-for-4 with a walk, a run and an RBI.
McKay (2-0) allowed no runs or hits in
1 2/3 innings of relief. Northwest Arkansas took the first game of the series, 6-2, on Saturday. Arkansas never led and could not take advantage of early wildness from Naturals starter Emilio Ogando, who walked six batters in the first five innings. Ogando surrendered only three hits during that time.
Arkansas starter Johendi Jiinian was limited to 2 1/3 innings in his second start back from the disabled list. Spencer Hermann and Stephen Peraklis were both tagged for multiple runs.
The Travelers were 3-for-12 with runners in scoring in position and left 13 runners on base. Their pitching staff allowed
21 runners.
Curletta was 1-for-2 with three walks. Mendoza hit 2-for-4.
Arkansas began a 12-game road trip Wednesday at Springfield. They will play four games at Northwest Arkansas next week before four more games in Springfield.