DRILLERS EVEN THE SERIES WITH EARLY OFFENSE OVER NATURALS

TULSA, Okla. - The Tulsa Drillers put the Naturals in an early hole and Northwest Arkansas could not find a way to overcome the deficit in the 7-2 loss on Monday night at ONEOK Field. Northwest Arkansas (43-51/14-10) maintained a half-game lead over the Drillers (50-42/13-10) in the Texas League North Division Standings despite the defeat.

The Naturals plated a first-inning run, capitalizing on the lack of command from Drillers' starter, Lisalverto Bonilla (1-1, 2.59) who walkedAlfredo Escalera with the bases loaded to give the Naturals a 1-0 lead. Escalera drove in both of the Naturals' runs in the loss with his second coming off big league veteran, Randy Choate, in the eighth inning.

The 21-year old Puerto Rican plated Ryan O'Hearn from second base after Choate, the lefty-specialist, entered the contest to specifically pitch to O'Hearn. The left-handed hitter smacked a two-out base hit to right-field, into the shift, which was followed up by a Mauricio Ramos, single to center prior to the base-hit by Escalera.

O'Hearn along with Logan Moon led the offense with a pair of base-hits on the night.

Left-hander, Eric Skoglund (6-7, 3.64) was denied his fourth win of the season over the Tulsa Drillers. The southpaw worked 5.0 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and a pair of walks. Relievers, Sam Selman  and Tim Hill worked over the final three innings of relief.

The Naturals and the Drillers continue the four-game series tomorrow with Game 3 from ONEOK Field at 7:05 p.m. Right-hander, Jake Junis (9-4. 2.76) looks to become the Texas League's first 10-game winner on the season as he brings in the second-lowest earned-run average in the circuit. Veteran right-hander, Jeremy Kehrt (3-4, 5.33) will counter for the Drillers.

Join the Voice of the Naturals, Benjamin Kelly, for a 6:45 p.m. Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show, leading up to the 7:05 p.m. first pitch on the flagship station of the Naturals, 92.1-FM, the Ticket.

Follow the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Twitter @NWANaturals all throughout the year by using the hashtag #NaturalPastime and #CrowntoCrown for all of our up-to-date information on the Season Nine of Naturals Baseball, tickets, groups, promotions, roster, season standings, player statistics, and updates on Naturals alumni.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League Affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, Ark. For more information, including statistics, ticket options, and more, please visit NWANaturals.com, and follow us on Twitter @NWANaturals and Facebook.com/Naturals.

-Naturals-