It might be too early to say what Northwest Arkansas' doubleheader sweep Sunday of the Arkansas Travelers means for the rest of the Texas League season.
But, for now, the Naturals' victories at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock are enough to overtake the Travelers for first place in the North Division for the first time all season.
Today’s game
ARKANSAS VS. NW ARKANSAS
WHEN 7:10 p.m.
WHERE Dickey-Stephens Park, North Little Rock
RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas
WEBSITE travs.com and nwanaturals. com
PITCHERS Travs: Nate Smith (LHP, 3-2, 3.31 ERA); Naturals: Brandon Finnegan (0-1, 3.86)
TICKETS Gates open 1 hour before first pitch. $13 box, $9 reserved ($6 children), $7 general admission ($5 children).
PROMOTIONS Find a coupon for a $3 discount in today’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY NW Arkansas, 7:10 p.m.
TUESDAY NW Arkansas, 11 a.m.
WEDNESDAY off
THURSDAY Tulsa, 7:10 p.m.
FRIDAY Tulsa, 7:10 p.m.
SATURDAY Tulsa, 7:10 p.m.
SUNDAY Tulsa, 2:10 p.m.
The Naturals used a three-run sixth inning in the first game, then a five-run sixth aided by two errors in the second to sweep the Travs 3-1 and 8-2, respectively, Sunday.
The second victory, played in front of an announced crowd of 4,091, was the 13th in the last 15 games for the Naturals, who were four games back of the Travs two weeks ago and entered Sunday 1 1/2 games back of the team that has been in first place since opening day.
"The way we swing the bat, the way we play defense and the way we pitch, I knew we'd put something together," Naturals Manager Vance Wilson said. "I knew we had a team that could roll off winning streaks. In the past, I didn't think we had the stuff to do it."
The Naturals had franchise record 11-game winning streak end Thursday at Springfield, but they displayed ability in every phase of the two seven-inning games Sunday, which were needed after Saturday's series opener was washed out by storms.
Second baseman Alex Liddi's sixth-inning triple to center field grazed the glove of a diving Chad Hinshaw to score two runs and give the Naturals a 2-1 lead in the first game.
Veteran designated hitter Mike Bianucci went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI in the second game, including a two-run double. Angel Franco also doubled and hit a home run in the second game, which was the 34th this season for the Naturals, second-most in the minors.
Bianucci, who played last season for the Travs, said he can see similarities between this year's Naturals team and the Travs team he helped to the second-half North Division title a year ago.
"It almost seems like we were doing this last year over in the other locker room," Bianucci said. "This team reminds me a lot of that team the way we play together. I've had a couple of guys ask me, who was better, my team then or this team we have this year. They're really similar, the two teams how they play. "
The Naturals looked better than the current Travs in almost every area Sunday.
Arkansas starter Austin Wood pitched five scoreless innings in Game 1, but reliever Michael Brady gave up a two-run triple to Liddi and an RBI double to Micah Gibbs to hand the Naturals a come-from-behind victory in Game 1.
Travs starter Alan Busenitz limited the Naturals to a run in the first and second innings of Game 2, then gave up a home run to Franco in the fifth as the Naturals took a 3-0 lead.
Then, in the sixth, reliever Nate Hyatt walked the first two batters, then let two runs score when he fielded Santiago Nessy's bunt and threw it over second baseman Brock Bond, who was covering at first base. Ethan Chapman walked, and Bond's throwing error from second base on the next play trying to get an out at home scored two more runs. Bianucci's two-run double capped a five-run inning in which they got one hit.
"We had one bad inning," Arkansas Manager Bill Richardosn said of Game 2. "Looking forward to tomorrow."
Richardson didn't see the inning from the dugout after he was ejected by third-base umpire Lee Meyers in the bottom of the fourth while arguing Hinshaw being called out trying to steal second base. Hinshaw slid over the bag trying to steal second and Franco, the shortstop, dropped the throw from the catcher Nessy. Franco corralled the ball and tagged out Hinshaw, Meyers ruled, but Richardson said he thought Hinshaw made it back."
"He gets back to the bag, and somehow, magically, he's still out," said Richardson, who was ejected for the first time as Travs manager.
Richardson said he didn't think his team would be too worried about giving up first place for the first time this season.
"I would hope not," he said. "If it does, that's something they need to work on. That's another player development thing. But, does it make me want to come to the ballpark? Yes."
Sports on 05/11/2015