Staumont hurls Naturals to TL North title

Josh Staumont picked a great time to have the best start of his Double-A career. 

Kansas City's No. 11 prospect tied a career high with 12 strikeouts, scattering four hits and two walks over six innings as Northwest Arkansas blanked visiting Arkansas, 8-0, to clinch the Texas League North Division second-half title.

The win capped a dramatic finish to the season for the Naturals, who stayed in the hunt after a walk-off infield single by Mauricio Ramos against Arkansas on Sunday. 

"I told the guys that you really don't realize these things until you retire or quit playing and look back, that very rarely do you get to be in this situation not only personally but as a team," Northwest Arkansas manager Vance Wilson told nwaonline.com after Sunday's victory. "Regardless of which way it goes, you've got to enjoy it in the end."

Staumont (2-1) pitched himself into a jam by putting two aboard with one out in the first inning. The 2015 second-round pick rebounded to strike out Andrew Daniel and Jabari Henry. 

Royals' No. 8 prospect Ryan O'Hearn put the Naturals on the board with an RBI single to right field in the first and Frank Schwindel followed with a two-run double left. O'Hearn also lined a two-RBI double to left in the fourth. The 23-year-old first baseman finished the season slashing .258/.339/.437 with 15 homers and 60 RBIs in 112 games. 

Staumont struck out the side in the fourth and added two more whiffs in a 1-2-3 fifth. He finished his outing by fanning the side again, while stranding two runners, in the sixth. 

The Azusa Pacific University product was promoted to Northwest Arkansas on July 17. In 11 starts for the Naturals, Staumont sported a 3.04 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP with 73 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings. 

Evan Beal walked two over two innings of relief and Aroni Nina allowed a hit and struck out two in the ninth. 

Northwest Arkansas, which spent most of the second half in first place, will travel to Springfield on Wednesday to start a best-of-5 series against the Cardinals.