NATURALS COME CLOSE BUT FALL 6-5 TO WICHITA IN 10 INNINGS
SPRINGDALE, AR – After jumping out to a 4-0 lead Saturday night, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals were forced to go into extras with the Wind Surge and fell 6-5 for the team’s third straight loss. Northwest Arkansas started the scoring in the first inning as three straight batters reached to
SPRINGDALE, AR – After jumping out to a 4-0 lead Saturday night, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals were forced to go into extras with the Wind Surge and fell 6-5 for the team’s third straight loss.
Northwest Arkansas started the scoring in the first inning as three straight batters reached to begin the inning and Jake Means put the Naturals up 1-0 with a sacrifice fly.
Three more runs crossed the plate for the Naturals in the third inning, on a pair of hits, three walks and two Wichita errors.
Starting pitcher Angel Zerpa threw 4.0 scoreless innings, striking out four in a solid bounce back outing from his first of the year last weekend.
Once the game got to the fifth, the Wind Surge began to chip away at the Naturals bullpen, coming back to tie the game at 4-4 in the eighth inning.
Northwest Arkansas put two runners on and had the winning run on third base in the ninth inning, but could not walk off Wichita, forcing a 10th inning for the first time this season.
The Wind Surge scored two in the tenth and once again, the Naturals put the winning run in scoring position in the bottom half. To make the score 6-5, Maikel Garcia singled home Means, the placed runner and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. With Nate Eaton on third, Garcia on second, Logan Porter on first and one out, the two were stranded and the Naturals ended up leaving the bases loaded in the 10th to fall a run short for the team’s third straight loss.
The Naturals look to secure a series split on Sunday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. CT as left-hander Asa Lacy takes the mound at Arvest Ballpark for the second time this week.