SPRINGDALE, Ark - Trailing 2-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (17-12) rallied to score two runs in their last at bat to walk-off winners against the Arkansas Travelers (12-18) on Monday night by a 3-2 final. Allan de San Miguel played the part of
SPRINGDALE, Ark - Trailing 2-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (17-12) rallied to score two runs in their last at bat to walk-off winners against the Arkansas Travelers (12-18) on Monday night by a 3-2 final. Allan de San Miguel played the part of the hero as the veteran catcher delivered a clutch, two-out RBI single for the game-winning run.
In need of a late inning comeback, the Naturals relied on the heart of their order to get the rally started. With one out in the ninth, Frank Schwindel recorded his first hit of the series with a line drive single to left field. Mauricio Ramos followed with a single of his own to move Logan Moon , whom had come in to pinch run for Schwindel, into scoring position at third base. Moon used all of his speed on a sacrifice bunt by Ruben Sosa, Jr. as he just beat the tag at the plate to tie the game at 2-2. With runners on first and second and two outs, up stepped de San Miguel. The Naturals catcher connected on the first pitch he saw for a single up the middle, which scored Ramos and started an on-field celebration as the Naturals walked off winners.
The Naturals jumped on the board first again on Monday night as the hot-hitting Samir Dueñez lifted a 1-0 pitch for a solo home run over the wall in left for his sixth home run of the year to go along with 27 RBI. The early 1-0 lead would not last for long as the visitors from North Little Rock had an immediate answer in the top half of the second. After a one-out walk to Joey Wong , third baseman Jay Baum doubled to center field to put runners at second and third. Nelson Ward drove Wong in with a RBI sacrifice fly then Chuck Taylor delivered a two-out single to plate Baum, which gave the Travelers a 2-1 advantage. The run by Wong in the second broke a 32.1 consecutive scoreless streak by the Naturals pitching staff against their in-state rivals.
RHP Pedro Fernandez (W, 1-2) earned the victory for Northwest Arkansas with 2.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. The hard-throwing righty only allowed one hit and struck out four in the game. He came on in relief of RHP Corey Ray , whom got the start. Ray pitched well for a fourth consecutive start as he allowed two runs on eight hits to go along with four strikeouts.
The win by Northwest Arkansas improves them to 10-1 at home over their last 11 games and clinches the series victory over the Travelers heading into the series finale tomorrow. It also gives the Naturals a 2.0 game lead over Springfield in the division.
Northwest Arkansas will continue their eight game homestand with the series finale against the Arkansas Travelers (Double-A Seattle Mariners) tomorrow morning - Tuesday, May 9 - with first pitch scheduled for 11:05 a.m. on a SCHOOL KIDS DAY GAME by SWEPCO. The Naturals will send LHP Matt Tenuta (1-1, 10.19 ERA) to the bump while the Travelers will counter with RHP Lindsey Caughel (2-2, 4.28 ERA) in the finale. Catch all the live play-by-play action with the Voice of the Naturals Benjamin Kelly on your home for Naturals Baseball KQSM - 92.1 The Ticket at 10:50 a.m. for the Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show.
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.
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