GUTIERREZ HOMERS IN NATURALS LOSS AT TULSA

TULSA, Okla. - Kelvin Gutierrez  homered in his second game as a Natural to pull Northwest Arkansas within a run in the fourth inning; but the Drillers pulled away on Friday night at ONEOK Field for a 9-3 final score.
Gutierrez, who joined the club yesterday in correspondence with a trade with the Washington Nationals, crushed a 1-0 pitch from Tulsa right-hander, Mitchell White , well beyond the centerfield fence for his first homer as a member of the Royals' organization. The 23-year old prospect has driven in runs in each of his first two games.
Infielder, Erick Mejia  finished 2-for-4 on the night and has now hit safely in nine straight games and is batting 16-for-37 over the stretch with four extra base hits and six runs batted in.

The Drillers used a five-run fifth inning and four home runs to even the series a one game apiece. Left-hander, Foster Griffin (3-8, 6.19) took the loss going 4.1 innings in his 15^th start of the year.
Right-handed reliever, Grant Gavin  extended his scoreless inning streak to 5.0 innings with two more shutout frames tonight. He allowed one hit and struck out two in a strong performance tonight.
The Naturals were held to just six hits one night after a 17-run on 16-hit performance against the Drillers. Nick Dini drove in a run in the eighth inning on a run-scoring ground out while Kort Peterson  scored earlier in the game against White on a wild pitch.
The series continues tomorrow night on Saturday, June 23 at ONEOK Field with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch. Right-hander, Zach Lovvorn (4-3, 5.24 ERA) will make his 14^th start of the season tomorrow for the Naturals. Tulsa has yet to announce their start for the third game of the set.
Join the Voice of the Naturals, Benjamin Kelly, for a 6:45 p.m. pregame show leading up to the 7:05 p.m. first pitch on 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 the 2018 season 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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