TRAVS USE BIG INNINGS TO DEFEAT NATURALS

SPRINGDALE, Ark - Northwest Arkansas had won two straight games prior to Monday night but gave up a couple of big innings as the Arkansas Travelers (19-17) went on to defeat the Naturals (15-21) by a 13-5 final in the series opener at Arvest Ballpark.
The visitors from North Little Rock got the offense going right away against Naturals' starter Andres Machado . They loaded the bases with one out on two singles and an error before Chris Mariscal hit a grand slam to left field for the early 4-0 advantage.
The Travs added to their lead with a run in the third. Joey Curletta doubled with two outs and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Trailing 5-0, the Naturals used the top of their order to score a couple of runs. Donnie Dewees singled and advanced to third on a double by Erick Mejia . Nicky Lopez then singled home Dewees while Elier Hernandez plated Mejia with a sacrifice fly.

The Travelers put the game out of reach in the sixth as they exploded for seven runs on six hits. Chuck Taylor had a RBI single to begin the scoring and Beau Amaral followed with a sacrifice fly. After a bases loaded walk scored the third run, Mariscal continued his big night with a two-run double before Adam Law completed the scoring with a two-run single for the 13-2 lead.
Northwest Arkansas would continue to fight as they'd put up three runs in the sixth. Jecksson Flores continued his hot stretch with a RBI single before he and John Brontsema scored to make it a 13-5 game on a fielding miscue in left field by Taylor.
The Naturals offense, especially the top of the order, continued their hitting ways as the team collected 11 hits on the night. Dewees led the way out of the leadoff spot with three hits while Mejia and Lopez each had multi-hit nights.
Anthony Misiewicz (W, 1-2) was effective in his start for Arkansas as the lefty earned his first win of the season. He allowed five runs, two earned, on 10 hits while striking out five. On the other side, Machado (L, 0-1) took the loss in the 2018 Naturals debut after being transferred to Northwest Arkansas from Triple-A Omaha on Sunday. He gave up six runs, one earned, on nine hits.
The Naturals bullpen was not as effective as they'd like as Arkansas got to the Northwest Arkansas relievers for seven runs on seven hits. Alex Liddi , the Naturals' first baseman, was a bright spot as he tossed 2.0 scoreless frames to finish the game.
Northwest Arkansas will continue their series against the Arkansas Travelers, the Double-A Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, with Game 2 tomorrow night - Tuesday, May 15 - with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Gates will open to the public at 6:00 p.m. for an Arvest Two for Tuesday with Johnsonville Buck-A-Brats. The Naturals will send LHP Foster Griffin (2-4, 4.25 ERA) to the mound while the Travs will counter with RHP Andrew Moore (2-1, 2.89 ERA). Catch all the live play-by-play action with the Voice of the Naturals Benjamin Kelly on KQSM - 92.1 The Ticket 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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