GOMEZ, NATURALS EVEN SERIES WITH 2-1 WIN OVER TRAVELERS

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Mid-Season All-Star Ofreidy Gomez twirled his team-leading eighth quality start of the season and protected the early runs provided by his teammates to even the three-game series at a game apiece at Dickey-Stephens Park on Tuesday night. The Naturals defeated the Arkansas Travelers, 2-1, setting up a rubber-match on Wednesday evening.
 
Gomez (6-6, 3.36) battled his command early in the contest. The 24-year old right-hander walked the lead-off hitter, allowed a single and then put down the next three straight batters to maintain the Naturals' early 1-0 lead in the first inning.
He went on to retired 10 of the next 11 batters before plunking Nick Zammarelli in the fifth inning. Gomez promptly erased it with an inning-ending 5-4-3 double-play with the Naturals' lead still intact, at 2-0.

His lone tally surrendered came in the fifth inning and it crossed unearned after a two-out single provided the offense for the home team. Gomez went on to retired the last six batters faced and struck out the side in the seventh inning to punctuate his quality start.
 
His final line: seven innings, three this, one run (unearned), two walks and seven strikeouts. He becomes the 12^th different Natural this season to go seven innings and the second straight after J.C. Cloney pitched seven-plus on Monday night. His quality start is also the sixth consecutive quality start by a starter.
 
The offense put up a first inning run against left-hander, Justus Sheffield (2-1, 1.38). The 23-year old Travelers' pitcher had allowed just three runs on 16 in his first 27-innings in Double-A this season. Northwest Arkansas collected back-to-back one-out single by Khalil Lee and Gabriel Cancel , setting up a run-scoring ground-out from Emmanuel Rivera to take a 1-0 lead.
 
In the third inning, three straight hits by Cancel, Rivera and then Meibrys Viloria provided the second run of the game with Viloria's hit to rightfield scoring Cancel to move the advantage to 2-0.
 
Left-hander, Emilio Ogando worked a scoreless eighth inning behind Gomez's fine start. Right-hander, Tyler Zuber , made his first appearance at Dickey-Stephens in the ninth inning, greeted by 75 of his family and friends from his hometown of White Hall, Ark. He struck out the first two batters of the inning, gave-up a double and then got the final hitter to line-out to left-field to notch his third save of the season with the Naturals.
 
The Naturals (40-45/9-9) became just the second team in the Texas League this season to put up eight hits against Sheffield and the first to score two runs off the left-hander, handing him his first loss as a Traveler.
 
The win tonight snapped a three-game losing streak and puts manager, Darryl Kennedy's career total at 999 win. Right-hander, Jackson Kowar (1-1, 1.04 ERA) will look to give the skipper No. 1,000 in the rubber-match of the set. Arkansas will send the Texas League's ERA leaguer, right-hander, Nabil Crismatt (3-5, 2.17 ERA) to the mound to make his first start against the Naturals this season.
 
Join the "Voice of the Naturals," Benjamin Kelly on 92.1-FM, the Ticket and the Naturals Radio Network for a 6:50 Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show leading up to the 7:10 p.m. first pitch.
 
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-