SPRINGDALE — The Northwest Arkansas Naturals rallied from a six-run deficit Sunday to defeat the Arkansas Travelers 10-9 and take over sole possession of first place in the Texas League North.
The Naturals scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to complete the comeback before an announced crowd of 3,635 at Arvest Ballpark.
Northwest Arkansas, with its victory and Springfield’s loss to Tulsa, has a one-game lead.
The Travelers built an 8-2 lead through 2½ innings, scoring 2 runs in the first inning on Dario Pizzano’s double, 3 more in the second inning on a passed ball and a two-run single by Pizzano and three more in the third inning aided by heads-up base running.
Kyle Waldrop scored on Nelson Ward’s single, and Jeff Kobernus scored on Ian Miller’s single before Joey Wong followed with a single to center. Ward advanced to third and then scored when Northwest Arkansas center fielder Donnie Dewees nonchalantly lobbed the ball to the cutoff man.
“We were sloppy early,” Northwest Arkansas Manager Vance Wilson said. “Even in a game like today with a lot of runs by both teams, I wasn’t real happy with how sloppy we were. They embarrassed us with a base-running move.”
Wilson met his team at the bottom of the dugout steps when they came in after the inning.
The Naturals responded.
“I chewed them in the dugout on the base-running play,” Wilson said. “You get to the point sometimes you’re going to get your butt kicked and you just get beat. It’s baseball, but when you lead to that and don’t catch balls you should catch and then get embarrassed on the base paths like that for them to respond like that I’m happy.”
Consecutive singles by Samir Duenez, Logan Moon and Dewees loaded the bases in the bottom of the third before Alfredo Escalara’s grand slam made it 8-6.
Sports on 06/12/2017