TEXAS LEAGUE

Sportman, Martin help Midland win

ROCKHOUNDS 9, TRAVELERS 3

An hour before the first pitch Wednesday, the tarp still covered the infield at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock and weather radar wasn't optimistic regarding the upcoming game between the Arkansas Travelers and Midland RockHounds.

But the rain slowed and came to a stop around the time of the 7:10 scheduled first pitch, and even though afternoon storms had blanketed the area, Nathan Bannister threw the first pitch at 8:09 p.m.

That was the last bit of good news for the Travs.

Three hours and 15 minutes later, the RockHounds finished off a 9-3 victory over the Travs, which came after most of the 2,433 in attendance had left.

The Travs stranded 14 runners on base, including at least one in every inning, while committing a season-high four errors to snap their three-game winning streak.

The Travs didn't do any work on the field before Wednesday's game, while taking batting practice in the cage beyond the center field wall, but Travs Manager Darren Brown dismissed that as a reason for the loss.

"It's part of it," he said. "We didn't play very well. Didn't play defense very well. Didn't pitch very well. Sometimes that happens."

J.D. Sportman and Ritchie Martin each scored two runs for the RockHounds, who scored one run in the first, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings before adding four in the eighth off Travs reliever Stephen Perakslis.

The Travs tried to keep up early, with two runs in the fourth to tie it at 2-2 when Logan Taylor doubled, Yonathan Mendoza singled and both scored on Chuck Taylor's single.

But the Travs, who had 13 hits, again struggled to get runners home while stringing a runner in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Dario Pizzano led off the fifth with a single but was stranded when the next three hitters were retired in order. Mendoza reached on a one-out single and moved to third before a groundout ended the threat.

Pizzano then doubled with one out in the seventh and reached third on a groundout but couldn't score. Joe Decarlo singled in the eighth but couldn't go any further.

Midland led 5-2 heading into the eighth when Perakslis gave up a triple to Martin, hit Brett Siddall with a pitch, and Brett Vertigan reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Then, Sportman singled in a run, and another scored when Perakslis threw wildly to third, and the RockHounds added two more runs in the inning off the Travs right-hander who hadn't allowed an earned run in three outings.

Logan Taylor made two errors at second base, and catcher Joseph Odom dropped a fouled pop up.

"That happens sometimes," Brown said. "That's why it's the minor leagues. It's guys trying to figure things out."

Today's game

ARKANSAS TRAVELERS VS. MIDLAND ROCKHOUNDS

WHEN 7:10 p.m.

WHERE Dickey-Stephens Park, North Little Rock

RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas

PITCHERS Travs: LHP Anthony Misiewicz (1-3, 5.76 ERA); RockHounds: RHP Logan Shore (2-0, 1.21 ERA).

TICKETS $12 box, $8 reserved ($5 kids), $6 general admission ($4 kids). Gates open one hour before first pitch.

PROMOTIONS Go Western Theme Night

THE WEEK AHEAD

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

FRIDAY vs. Frisco, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY vs. Frisco, 6:10 p.m.

SUNDAY vs. Frisco, 2:10 p.m.

MONDAY Off

TUESDAY at Midland, 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY at Midland, 6:30 p.m.

Sports on 05/24/2018

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