These are good times for the Arkansas Travelers.
Arkansas' late-season surge continued Sunday night with an 8-3 Texas League victory over Corpus Christi before an announced crowd of 5,289 at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
Boosted by four early runs, Arkansas (30-19) maintained its six-game lead over Northwest Arkansas in the Texas League North Division's second-half race.
The Travelers are 22-7 the last month, have won 8 of 9 in August and completed a three-game sweep Sunday.
Arkansas Manager Phillip Wellman said he couldn't pinpoint a reason for his team's torrid stretch.
"If I had the answer to that after 16 years of managing, we would never go through those valleys," Wellman said. "What I do like is that we're clicking at the right time of the year."
Arkansas starter Kramer Sneed (7-9) pitched six solid innings for the victory.
The Travelers outhit the Hooks 13-4 and roughed up starter Mark Appel, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2013 Major League Draft. Appel, a hard-throwing right-hander, allowed 8 hits, 4 runs -- all earned -- in 5 innings.
Appel (0-1) had his moments -- he struck out the side in the fifth inning -- but left trailing 4-1.
Arkansas scored four first-inning runs against another heralded pitching prospect, Jon Gray of Tulsa, in a 6-2 home victory July 27. Gray was the third overall selection in last year's draft.
"I really don't think our guys are at the point where they worry about who pitches," Wellman said. "They know once it's released, it doesn't have their name on it anymore. It's just a baseball."
Three hits against Appel were doubles, including a liner into the left-field corner by designated hitter Mike Bianucci that gave the Travelers the lead for good, 2-1, in the third inning.
Catcher Anderson De La Rosa added another double in a three-run third to stretch the lead to 4-1.
The Travelers broke it open with four runs in the sixth inning to take an 8-1 lead. The offensive flurry was highlighted by first baseman Brian Hernandez's two-run home run off reliever Colton Cain.
Cain allowed 5 hits and 4 earned runs in 2 innings.
Corpus Christi (21-29) received home runs by Leo Heras in the first inning and Teoscar Hernandez in the eighth inning.
Sports on 08/11/2014