De Jong on target for Travs

Right-hander Chase De Jong, backed by a strong defense and an opportunistic offense, scattered 5 hits over 8 innings and struck out 8 as the Arkansas Travelers took a 6-2 victory over Frisco and a 2-1 series victory Sunday at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.

De Jong (4-3, 3.84 ERA) allowed two hits in the first inning, didn't allow a baserunner until a one-out single in the sixth and gave up a first-pitch, two-run home run to Correll Prime in the eighth.

"Of course, it was a bad pitch," De Jong said. "He hit it really hard."

But, it was De Jong's fastball that ruled the day.

"My fastball was so good down today," he said. "I was hitting the target I was given, keeping the ball down low. It was as good as it's ever been today."

The eight innings were the most De Jong has thrown this year, but he said he could have gone longer. He finished throwing 93 pitches on the day.

"I'm sure if I still had the shutout, I would have gone back in the game," he said. "A hundred pitches is not the drop-dead point. I've been doing this six or seven years and I'm a big guy."

After allowing the two hits in the first inning, De Jong didn't put another RoughRider on base until a one-out single by No. 9 hitter Michael De Leon in the sixth inning.

He walked Hunter Cole, the leadoff hitter in the seventh, but his defense came through when shortstop Yonathan Mendoza snared a ground ball by cleanup hitter Jose Trevino, stepped on second to force Cole then threw to first to complete a double play. A fly ball to center ended the inning.

Preston Beck led off the Frisco eighth with a single, then Prime, a second-inning replacement for an ejected Juremi Profar, smashed a 456-foot home run over the the left-field berm and onto Willow Street to get Frisco to within 5-2.

Reloiever Bryan Bonnell allowed a two-out single in the ninth, but induced a popup to shortstop to end the game.

A leadoff walk to the Travs' Chuck Taylor opened the fourth inning. Joey Curletta and Dario Pizzano followed with singles, Taylor scoring on the hit for a 1-0 lead. Chris Mariscal lofted a sacrifice fly to center to score Curletta and the Travelers had a 2-0 advantage.

Joe Taylor doubled off the wall in left-center to lead off the seventh for Arkansas. Another double by Braden Bishop scored Taylor. Bishop moved to third on a wild pitch then scored on an error by Frisco's Eliezer Alvarez, who threw wide of first after bobbling a Chuck Taylor ground ball. Taylor moved to second on a walk to Curletta, then scored on a single, one of 11 hits by the Travelers, by Mariscal.

Tuesday’s game

ARKANSAS TRAVELERS AT MIDLAND ROCKHOUNDS

WHEN 6:30 p.m. Central WHERE Security Bank Ballpark, MIdland, Texas RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas WEBSITE travs.com PITCHERS Travs: TBD; Rockhounds: TBD

Joe Taylor ended the scoring for the Travelers in the eighth when he homered to the base of the light pole on the left-field berm.

Sports on 05/28/2018

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