TEXAS LEAGUE

Naturals use big fourth to upend Travs

Naturals third baseman Jecksson Flores hits a line drive Wednesday against the Travelers at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.
Naturals third baseman Jecksson Flores hits a line drive Wednesday against the Travelers at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.

SPRINGDALE -- Not even an afternoon downpour could stop the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

The Naturals scored four runs in the fourth inning and went on to defeat Arkansas 5-4 in eight innings Wednesday at Arvest Ballpark. A crowd of 7,798 was bolstered on education day by the appearance of area schoolchildren and their teachers.

Most of the schoolchildren had left in buses when the umpires called the game in the eighth inning after a delay of 1 hour and 2 minutes.

Jeckson Flores had a run-scoring single in the fourth inning for Northwest Arkansas to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. No. 9 hitter Luis Villegas added an RBI single and a sacrifice fly for the Naturals, who've won eight of their past 11 games.

"[Villegas] has been clutch pretty much all year," Northwest Arkansas Manager Mike Rojas said. "He's doing it with two outs and he continued that today. Our guys are grinding every day. We're playing good baseball right now."

Northwest Arkansas starter Zach Lovvorn (2-2) pitched 6 innings, allowing 8 hits and 3 earned runs. Logan Taylor went 3 for 4 for Arkansas, which outhit the Naturals 10-6.

Flores tied the game 1-1 with a single in the fourth. A second run scored on a poor throw to third base by pitcher Chase De Jong, and a third run scored on a passed ball by catcher Joe DeCarlo.

Villegas drove in the fourth run of the inning with a two-out single to left field. Villegas added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Naturals designated hitter Nick Dini was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's game three times. Dini, a right-handed batter, was plunked all three times by Arkansas starter De Jong, a right-handed pitcher.

Dini avoided being hit a fourth time when he lined a single in the eighth inning off Arkansas reliever Matt Temula, a left-hander.

Today’s game

ARKANSAS TRAVELERS AT NW ARKANSAS NATURALS

WHEN 7:05 p.m.

WHERE Arvest Ballpark, Springdale

RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas; KQSM-FM, 92.1, in Northwest Arkansas

WEBSITE travs.com, nwanaturals.com

PITCHERS Travs: RHP Johendi Jiminian (2-2, 3.03); Naturals: RHP Scott Blewett (1-3, 5.19)

TRAVS WEEK AHEAD

TODAY at NW Arkansas, 7:05 p.m.

FRIDAY at Tulsa, 7:05 p.m.

SATURDAY at Tulsa, 7:05 p.m

SUNDAY at Tulsa, 1:05 p.m.

MONDAY at Tulsa, 12:05 p.m.

TUESDAY vs. Midland, 7:10 p.m.

WEDNESDAY vs. Midland, 7:10 p.m.

Sports on 05/17/2018

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