NATURALS WIN RAIN-SHORTENED GAME, 5-4

SPRINGDALE, Ark - With the Naturals up by a run and with a couple of guys on base, the sky opened and the rain started to fall. The wait lasted just over an hour on Wednesday afternoon but it resulted in a rain-shortened 5-4 victory for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (17-21) over the Arkansas Travelers (19-19) in front of a season-best crowd of 7,798 at Arvest Ballpark.
The Travelers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second inning. Dario Pizzano singled to begin the frame and advanced to second on a passed ball then third on a wild pitch before coming into score on a Logan Taylor double to right-center field.
The Naturals would have a response of their own in the fourth as they'd plate four runs against Travs' starter Chase De Jong . Nicky Lopez led off with a single to center and advanced to second on a single by Elier Hernandez . Jecksson Flores then continued his hitting ways as he tied up the game at 1-1 with a sharp single through the hole at shortstop. Hernandez then would come into score on a throwing error by De Jong as he threw it wide of third on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Anderson Miller . Flores eventually would score on a wild pitch while Miller scored on a Luis Villegas single to put the Naturals up 4-1.

North Little Rock would cut the Naturals lead to 4-3 in the fifth as Pizzano delivered a clutch two-out, two-run single.
Northwest Arkansas would add another run in the sixth as the combination of Miller and Villegas were at it again. Miller singled to begin the frame and worked his way to third base where Villegas would drive him home on a sacrifice fly for a 5-3 lead.
The Travs would plate their fourth run in the seventh on a RBI groundout by Joseph Odom to complete the scoring on the day.
Naturals' starter Zach Lovvorn (W, 2-2) earned the win on Wednesday. The allowed three runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out eight. Meanwhile, De Jong (L, 3-3) took the loss after allowing five runs, three earned, through 5.2 innings of work.
The Northwest Arkansas' bullpen trio of Jake Kalish earned a hold while Franco Terrero got the save after working 2.0 innings of one-run baseball. The win now guarantees at least a series split or a third consecutive series win with a victory in the finale.
Northwest Arkansas will conclude their series against the Arkansas Travelers, the Double-A Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, with the series and homestand finale tomorrow night - Thursday, May 17 - with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Gates will open at 6:00 p.m. for a Thirsty Thursday presented by HEFTY. The Naturals will give the ball to RHP Scott Blewett (1-3, 5.19 ERA) while the Travelers will counter with RHP Johendí Jiminian (2-2, 3.03 ERA). Catch all of the live play-by-play action with the Voice of the Naturals Benjamin Kelly on AM 1590 - The Ticket 2 starting at 6:45 p.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 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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