NATURALS SCORE EARLY TO ROLL PAST DRILLERS, 11-6

SPRINGDALE, Ark. - Heading into the final 7-game homestand of the 2016 regular season and trailing the Arkansas Travelers by 0.5 games in the Texas League North Division, Northwest Arkansas was looking to start fast. They did Tuesday night as the Naturals (32-32, 61-73) scored 10 runs in the first three frames to roll past the Tulsa Drillers (30-34, 67-66) by the score of 11-6.

The Naturals plated three runs in the first as Alfredo Escalera and Mauricio Ramos got the offense going with back-to-back one-out singles. Escalera would score on a passed ball and Ramos would come in on a RBI double by Frank Schwindel. Samir Duenez, making his first appearance at Arvest Ballpark for the Naturals, followed with a RBI single for the early 3-0 advantage.

Northwest Arkansas would add four more runs in the second as Escalera collected a RBI single and then two batters later Ryan O'Hearn blasted a 2-2 pitch from Tulsa's RHP Isaac Anderson (L, 0-3) for a three-run home run and a 7-0 lead. The O'Hearn big fly would end the night for Anderson but the onslaught would continue in the next frame. Ramos and Schwindel would collect their third hits in as many innings as they both tallied RBIs in the third with an O'Hearn RBI single in between. During the early stages, the 2-3-4-5 hitters (Escalera, Ramos, O'Hearn, and Schwindel) went 10-for-12 with a homer, two doubles, and eight RBI.

Tulsa would fight back a bit in the fifth with a four run inning of their own as Willie Calhoun provided a RBI single and Kyle Garlick had a two-run double. The Naturals though would have a quick answer to slow the Drillers momentum as O'Hearn delivered RBI number five with a single and 11-4 lead. The Drillers offense would tack on a couple of unearned runs in the sixth inning to set the final score at 11-6. RHP Yender Caramo (W, 5-7) earned the win with 5.0 solid innings and four strikeouts. LHP Tim Hill worked 2.2 innings in relief and struck out a season-best five while RHP Mark Peterson finished off the last 1.1 innings.

Escalera, Ramos, O'Hearn, and Humberto Arteaga all had three hits on the night while Schwindel went 4-for-5 in the contest. The Naturals as a team pounded out 18 hits during the game and nine of their 11 runs came via two-out offense.

With the win, the Naturals remain 0.5 games out of first place as the Arkansas Travelers were also victorious on Tuesday night. 

Northwest Arkansas will continue their current 7-game homestand with Game 2 of this 4-game set against the Tulsa Drillers (Double-A Los Angeles Dodgers) tomorrow night - Wednesday, August 31 - with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. on our final What's It? Wednesday of the 2016 season. The Drillers will send RHP Seth Frankoff (3-3, 3.57 ERA) to the mound while the Naturals will counter with RHP Josh Staumont (1-1, 3.29 ERA). You can catch the play-by-play action with the Voice of the Naturals Benjamin Kelly on your home for Naturals baseball on KQSM 92.1-FM The Ticket at 6:45 p.m. for the Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show.

Follow the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Twitter @NWANaturals all throughout the year by using the hashtag #NaturalPastime and #CrowntoCrown for all of our up-to-date information on Season Nine of Naturals Baseball as well as the 2017 season.

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-