Beam spins quality start in 4-2 win Thursday

SPRINGDALE, AR – Drew Beam threw the first quality start of the season for the Naturals and led Northwest Arkansas (13-11) to a 4-2 win over the Springfield Cardinals (7-17) on Thursday night at Arvest Ballpark. The Naturals continue their six-game set against the Cardinals on Friday, with first pitch at 7:05 PM CT.

Beam (1-3) faced the minimum through four innings, and his offense gave him some run support in the bottom of the fourth. Canyon Brown knocked in Brett Squires with a groundout to short, giving the Naturals a 1-0 advantage. Spencer Nivens, who made his season debut for NWA and picked up a double in his second at-bat, scored on Justin Johnson’s double down the right-field line. Johnson’s fourth RBI of the series made it 2-0 in favor of the Nats.

Nivens extended the Naturals’ lead in the seventh inning. The lefty lined a two-run single to right-center, which plated Johnson and Sam Kulasingam.

Beam dealt six frames and allowed just one run on two hits. He picked up his first win as a Natural. Brandon Johnson notched his second save of the season after striking out three Cardinals in the ninth, finishing off the 4-2 win.

The Naturals face off against the Cardinals in the fourth game of the six-game series Friday at 7:05 PM CT. Fans can enjoy pregame “Happy Hour” specials at the Bullpen Party, as well as postgame Fireworks, presented by Jack Link’s Protein Snacks. Fans can get their tickets at NWANaturals.com for the remainder of the homestand.

As always, fans can follow along through the Naturals' TV broadcast, available with a subscription to MLB.tv or the MiLB App and for free through the Bally Live Sports App. Additionally, you can listen to the radio call of all 138 games with the "Voice of the Naturals", Shawn Murnin, on the MiLB app and NWANaturals.com.