Runs in bunches and from unlikely sources led the Arkansas Travelers to a 6-0 victory over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in front of an announced crowd of 7,405 at Dickey-Stephens Park on Monday night.
Late runs helped the Travelers pull away.
Arkansas started the seventh inning with a 2-0 lead, but catcher Wade Wass led off with a double, advanced to third on a bunt by center fielder Bo Way and scored when second baseman Jack Lopez mishandled relief pitcher Sam Selman's toss to first on Way's bunt.
Way moved to second on a single by shortstop Anthony Phillips and to third on a wild pitch. Way scored on Andrew Daniel's sacrifice fly to center field scored to give Arkansas a 4-0 lead.
"As a team, we've really been hitting the ball well," Daniels said. "We're moving the line better, so obviously it's helping to have guys hit up and down the order. It's really paying off."
"What happens is, guys start the season, and they think they know everything, and they don't," Arkansas Manager Mark Parent said. "They think, 'I got to double A doing this,' but that don't work. You have to keep making adjustments. But now we're getting good pitching and just enough hits when we need them."
Arkansas right-handed reliever D.J. Johnson held the Naturals hitless in the eighth, and then the Travelers scored two more in the bottom of the eighth on bases-loaded walks by Tim Arakawa and Sean Coyle.
Johnson pitched two scoreless innings to preserve Arkansas' four-game winning streak.
"We just weren't ready to compete," Naturals Manager Vance Wilson said. "And Arkansas is a good team. They're doing a great job. They put the ball in play, and they battle."
Seventh-place hitter Wass had 2 hits, 2 walks and was hit by a pitch in five plate appearances to bump his batting average from .165 to .185. He scored three runs.
"I was feeling good, seeing it good, and slowing everything down," Wass said. "It felt good."
"That's definitely the best game I've seen Wade have," Parent said.
Arakawa scored in the first when he reached on an error, advanced to second on a groundout and scored on Daniel's triple.
"We're being a little more stubborn, a little more disciplined at the plate," Daniels said. "We're not chasing as much. We're getting better pitches to hit and hitting the ball harder as a result, and that's one through nine, everybody."
"The way everybody's been swinging it lately, if it's not the top, it's the bottom," Wass said. "We've been complimenting each other pretty well. We just need to keep it going."
Travelers right-handed starter Chris O'Grady yielded 6 hits, walked none and struck out 6 in 6 innings against Northwest Arkansas.
"He pitched very well," Parent said. "Now we have about six guys who can start for us. We'll have to see what the [parent club Los Angeles] Angels want us to do."
Sports on 07/26/2016