Tulsa Drillers third baseman Edwin Rios stopped the Arkansas Travelers’ winning streak at three games with two home runs in the second game of Thursday night’s doubleheader at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
Rios, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ No. 22 prospect according to MLB.com, drove in all three runs in the Drillers’ 3-1 victory over the Travs (12-14). His second home run was a 427-foot drive in the fifth inning that carried over the right-field seats. Rios’ batting average ascended for the Drillers (11-15) to .380, which is good for second in the Texas League.
Tulsa first baseman Paul Hoenecke hit his second home run of the series in the first game, which the Travs won 3-1. Travs pitchers have given up the second-most home runs (24) in the league.
Rios hit his first off Travs starter Andrew Moore, whose high volume of pitches and baserunners kept him from pitching more than four innings. Moore (1-2), the Seattle Mariners’ No. 4 prospect, allowed 6 strikeouts, 5 hits and 2 earned runs before left-hander Ryan Horstman relieved him during the fifth inning. Moore’s three walks tied a career high.
The Travs scored only one run in the first three innings, despite drawing five walks in that span. Left fielder Chuck Taylor drove in Ian Miller with a double in the thrid, after the center fielder stole second for his league-leading 12th stolen base.
The Travs were 0 for 9 with runners on base after the third inning. Their last chance came in the bottom of the seventh, when Taylor led off with a double. The Travs third through fifth batters — Kyle Waldrop, Ryan Casteel and Marcus Littlewood — lined out, flew out and grounded out to end the game.
Both games of the doubleheader were seven innings.
Drillers right-hander Karch Kowalczyk (1-0, 1.88 ERA) earned the victory with two scoreless innings.
Travs reliever Thyago Vieira, Seattle’s No. 11 prospect, topped his fastball at 99 mph when he struck out two batters in the seventh inning.
In the first game, Travs right-hander Lindsey Caughel pitched the first complete game in the Texas League this season in the Travs’ 3-1 victory.
Caughel (2-2, 4.28 ERA) gave up 2 hits, 1 a home run, and struck out 4 in the game that made up for Wednesday morning’s postponement because of inclement weather.
Right fielder Chantz Mack and Waldrop, who was the designated hitter, both had RBI singles, and the Travs scored the go-ahead run in the fourth inning because of a Drillers blunder.
Travs first baseman Ryan Casteel was caught between third base and home plate when shortstop Joey Wong grounded to third. After Casteel outran two cycles of throws, Rios mishandled a throw that allowed Casteel to score for a 2-1 lead.
CARDINALS 9, NATURALS 1
The Springfield Cardinals scored runs in five consecutive innings Thursday, including four in the fourth inning, to defeat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in front of 3,131 fans at Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on Jose Adolis Garcia’s twoout RBI double to left-center field before their big fourth inning gave them control of the game.
Gabriel Lino drew a one-out walk and advanced to third on Garcia’s single to center field. Casey Grayson hit an RBI single to score Lino for a 2-0 lead. Garcia scored on Alex Mejia’s RBI double to give Springfield a 3-0 lead. After Oscar Mercado struck out, Nick Martini hit a two-run single to center field, scoring Grayson and Mejia as the Cardinals took a 5-0 lead.
Designated hitter Anthony Garcia, who finished 3 for 4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored, hit an RBI single in the fifth inning for the Cardinals, and Jose Adolis Garcia had an RBI single in the sixth to extend the lead to 7-1.
The Naturals got a home run from Samir Duenez in the top of the sixth that extended his hitting streak to nine games. Anthony Garcia then hit a two-run home run for the Cardinals in the seventh to complete the scoring.
The Naturals finished with five hits as Jack Lopez was 2 for 2 and Zane Evans was 2 for 3.
Jose Adolis Garcia was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI for the Cardinals, while Mejia was 3 for 4 with 1 RBI and 2 runs scored.
Sports on 05/05/2017