Naturals Shutout Travs on Saturday

Springdale, AR—Three Northwest Arkansas Naturals pitchers combined on a shutout as they blanked the Arkansas Travelers, 9-0 on Saturday night. Offensively, the Travs were limited to four hits after scoring 31 runs in the previous two games combined. The Naturals offense was aided by free passes as they scored seven times in the second inning on only one hit. The first six batters of that inning reached for free on a hit by pitch and five walks ending the night for starter Connor Jones who recorded just three outs. It was the eighth time the Travs have been shutout this season.

Moments That Mattered

* Jones hit Logan Porter to open the bottom of the second and then issued five straight walks with the final three of those forcing in a run.

* Ben Onyshko came out of the bullpen and tried to limit the damage but with two out Tyler Gentry bashed an 0-2 pitch to centerfield for a three-run homer and the Travs’ deficit was seven.

Notable Travs Performances

* LF Jack Larsen: 1-2, 2 BB

* RHP Devin Sweet: 2 IP, BB, 3 K

News and Notes

* The game was delayed one hour and 26 minutes at the start due to rain.

* Tulsa defeated Wichita on Saturday night so the Travelers remain in second place but now trail the Drillers by two games with seven to play in the first half of the season.

Up Next

The Travs go for a series win on Sunday afternoon with right-hander Stephen Kolek (4-4, 4.08) on the mound against lefty Anthony Veneziano (3-4, 6.12). First pitch is at 2:05 and the game will be broadcast on 93.3 The Fish, the First Pitch App and milb.tv.