LATE RUN BEATS THE NATURALS, 3-2

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Starter, Emilio Ogando turned in his third quality start of the season; but an unearned run crossed for the Cardinals in the eighth inning and it proved to be the difference. The Naturals dropped the club's sixth straight game with a 3-2 decision at Hammons Field on Tuesday night to the Springfield Cardinals.
Ogando worked six innings of one-run baseball - his second quality start in the last three outings - and kept the Cardinals off the board until the fifth inning.
Northwest Arkansas (39-54/4-19) took a 1-0 lead off starter, Anthony Shew , and the Cardinals when a two-out walk to Khalil Lee  turned into a run. Erick Mejia  drove a pitch into the left-centerfield gap to score Lee from first base, breaking a scoreless game.

After the Cardinals tied the game in the fifth inning, the took a 2-1 lead off Franco Terrero (2-5, 5.47) with a two-out double by Tommy Edman  in the seventh inning.
The Naturals retaliated in the eighth inning with a two-out run-scoring single by Elier Hernandez  to even the score at 2-2.
But, the Cardinals struck for an unearned run in the bottom of the frame after an lead-off walk, a passed ball and a groundout moved the runner to third. With two-outs, a fielding error allowed for the go-ahead run to cross, giving Springfield a 3-2 lead.
Jecksson Flores  led the offense with a pair of hits and now has four multi-hit games in his last six contests. Xavier Fernández  finished with two hits, including a double in the contest.
The series concludes tomorrow with right-hander, Scott Blewett (4-5, 5.48) on the mound to make his 18^th start of the season against left-hander, Austin Warner (0-3, 9.00) for the Cardinals.
Join the Voice of the Naturals, Benjamin Kelly, for a 6:10 Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show, leading up to first pitch on 92.1-FM, the Ticket and across the Naturals' radio network.
Follow the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Facebook and Twitter @NWANaturals all throughout the year by using the hashtag #NaturalPastime and #CrowntoCrown for all of our up-to-date information on the 2018 season of Naturals baseball.
 
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.
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