BATS GO QUIET IN SERIES OPENER IN CORPUS CHRISTI

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Northwest Arkansas mustered two runs on eight hits and dropped the series opener at Whataburger Field on Wednesday night, 5-2 against the Corpus Christi Hooks.
Trailing 3-0 entering the top of the fourth inning, Nicky Lopez ignited the offense with a lead-off single. Two batters later, Samir Dueñez corked a two-run home run off Major League rehabber, Collin McHugh to cut the Naturals deficit to 3-2. The home run is the 11^th on the season for Duenez and puts his season RBI total at 51.

The Naturals (46-37/7-6) sent right-hander, Corey Ray (5-5, 4.38) to the mound where the right-hander, batted through 4.2 innings. Ray allowed four runs on six hits with five walks and three strikeouts in his team-leading 17^th start of the season. Corpus Christi (40-43/6-7) hit two home runs off Ray in the game.
Reliever, Yunior Marte , pitched 2.1 innings of shutout baseball and did not allow a hit in his second Double-A appearance. The right-hander struck out four batters on the night and walked a pair in the scoreless outing.
Duenez finished the night 1-for-3 with a walk along with his home run. Anderson Miller collected a pair of hits on the evening including his first double of the season while Logan Moon tagged his ninth double of the season. Lopez finished with two hits in the game as well.
The Naturals and the Hooks continue the series on Thursday night from Whataburger Field with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch. Left-hander, Foster Griffin (6-1, 2.08) takes the hill for his eighth start of the season against right-hander, Akeem Bostick (4-1, 3.58) countering for the Hooks.
Join the Voice of the Naturals, Benjamin Kelly, for a 6:45 p.m. pregame show leading up to first pitch on the flagship station of the Naturals, 92.1-FM, the Ticket.
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 Season 10 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.
-Naturals-