Arkansas starts second half with 7-4 win

North Little Rock, AR - The Arkansas Travelers started the second half with a 7-4 win over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Tuesday at Dickey-Stephens Park.

In the back-and-forth game, the Travs trailed 3-1, but scored six of the next seven runs.

Five Arkansas players registered a multi-hit game, with SS Drew Maggi leading the way with a 3-for-5 night. Maggi also scored a run, stole a base and drove in two with a double.

RHP Chris Ellis (W, 2-0) surrendered a three-run home run to DH Parker Morin with two outs in the second, but settled in and retired each of the last nine batters he faced. In total, Ellis worked five innings and allowed the three runs on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Ellis features a 2.12 ERA in three starts with Arkansas since his promotion from A-Inland Empire.

The Travs countered the 3-run home run with two runs in the bottom of the second and two in the third off starter RHP Jakob Junis (L, 0-1) who was making his Double-A debut. Junis worked four innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

RHP Austin Adams worked the sixth and seventh for Arkansas and allowed a run on one hit, a 1B Balbino Fuenmayor triple, with no walks and a strikeout.

RHP Danny Reynolds and LHP Greg Mahle (S, 3) each tossed a scoreless frame to close the game.

2B Sherman Johnson, CF Jared Mitchell, RF Blake Gailen and LF D'Arby Myers each produced two hits for the Travs.

3B Brian Hernandez upped his league-leading RBI total to 49 with two sacrifice flies for Arkansas.

After getting called out on a close play at home plate in the sixth, Johnson was ejected for the first time in his professional career. Johnson later commented that it was the first time he had been ejected in his life.

Catcher Anthony Bemboom came in for Johnson to play third and shifted Hernandez to second for the first time since 2011.

A night after mustering 12 hits, the Travs smacked 11 more on Tuesday.

Arkansas went 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position and is 9-for-19 over the last two games.

With the win, the Travs improved to 37-33 on the season and have won six of their last eight games.

Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas will play the finale of the four-game series on Wednesday at Dickey-Stephens Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.