Martin Jr. hits walk-off homer in DH split

SPRINGDALE, AR – Rudy Martin Jr. hit a walk-off homer and Naturals pitching set down 14 consecutive Wind Surge hitters in Northwest Arkansas’ (10-11) doubleheader split with Wichita (12-9), winning 6-5 in game one and losing 3-2 in game two. After the series split, the Naturals will host the Springfield Cardinals for six games, starting Tuesday at 11:05 AM CT.

In game one, the Naturals trailed 5-1 through four and a half innings before they started slugging their way back into the deficit. Jorge Alfaro and Dustin Dickerson hit back-to-back doubles in the fifth, and Carson Roccaforte’s sacrifice fly made it a 5-3 ballgame. Alfaro hit his first Naturals home run in the sixth – a two-run shot to tie the game at five. Martin Jr. walked it off with a deep drive to right field in the bottom of the seventh, hitting his second long ball of the season and giving the Nats a 6-5 victory.

In game two, Connor Scott gave NWA a 2-1 lead in the second with a two-run homer to right field. Henry Williams (2-1) went five innings of one-run ball, and handed the advantage off to the bullpen. Williams and Oscar Rayo combined to retire 14 consecutive Wind Surge hitters through the sixth inning. Kala’i Rosario hit a two-run homer in the seventh, which gave the Surge a 3-2 lead. Northwest Arkansas fell, but still managed to split the doubleheader and the series.

The Naturals face off against the Springfield Cardinals in the first game of a six-game series Tuesday at 11:05 AM CT. Fans can get their tickets at NWANaturals.com for the remainder of the homestand.

As always, fans can follow along through the Naturals' TV broadcast, available with a subscription to MLB.tv or the MiLB App and for free through the Bally Live Sports App. Additionally, you can listen to the radio call of all 138 games with the "Voice of the Naturals", Shawn Murnin, on the MiLB app and NWANaturals.com.