NATURALS FALTER IN FINALE IN 5-2 LOSS AT MIDLAND

MIDLAND, Texas - Midland capitalized on three Naturals' errors and took the rubber-match by a 5-2 final score at Security Bank Ballpark on Thursday night.
Down to the final strike in the ninth inning and the bases loaded,, Samir Dueñez put the ball in play towards the first baseman, Brett Vertigan , who over-threw the covering pitcher, allowing two runs to score. The rally was thwarted a batter later as closer, Kyle Finnegan notched his ninth save of the season.
Northwest Arkansas could not execute chances early in the contest, stranding seven men on base over the first four innings against starter, Sam Bragg . The Naturals finished the game 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 men. Entering the game, Northwest Arkansas was hitting .374 with men in scoring position over the previous 12 contests.
Midland used a bases-loaded walk in the fourth inning against starter, Jon Perrin (0-1, 3.00 ERA) to take a 1-0 lead and scored two unearned runs against reliever, Gabe Speier in the fifth to extend the advantage in the fifth. The Naturals committed two errors during the sixth inning to lead to the two unearned tallies.

The RockHounds plated two more runs in the sixth inning en route to a 5-0 lead.
Outside of the three errors, the outfield defense dazzled. Anderson Miller bailed out the team in the second inning by collecting back-to-back outfield assists on consecutive plays, including doubling-off a runner at first base and throwing out Luis Barrera at second attempting to stretch a single into a double.
In the sixth inning, Nick Heath made a spectacular play against the wall to rob Tyler Ramirez of extra-bases and multiple RBIs and proceeded to help double-off the man on second base to end the inning.
Right-hander, Walker Sheller tossed two innings of shutout relief while Franco Terrero threw a scoreless eighth inning.
Jecksson Flores extended his hitting streak to 15 games and is two-shy of reaching his season-best with a single in the first inning. Erick Mejia recorded two hits in the contests and has now hit safely in 10 straight games, matching his season-best.
The Naturals continue the six-game road trip with the second leg in Frisco, Texas. Right-hander, Scott Blewett (7-6, 5.59 ERA) hunts for his third straight win against left-hander, Yohander Méndez opposite for the Frisco RoughRiders.
Join the Voice of the Naturals, Benjamin Kelly, with a 6:45 Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show leading up to the 7:05 p.m. first pitch on the flagship station of the Naturals, 92.1-FM, the Ticket and across the Naturals' Radio Network.
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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