Through the first 24 innings of the 2021 season, the Arkansas Travelers had not held a lead. In the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday, Connor Lien changed that.
The Travelers jumped ahead when the 27-year old ripped a triple that landed 390 feet into left-center field, scoring David Masters from second base and handing the Travelers a 3-2 lead. Lien's extra-base hit off Northwest Arkansas Naturals right-hander Peyton Gray and Stephen Wrenn's sacrifice fly three batters later put the Travs (1-2) ahead for good, sealing the hosts a 4-2 victory, their first of the season.
"For our boys, it's good to see them have some fight and keep competing tonight," Travelers Manager Collin Cowgill said. "We have a lot of that in us."
The two-run seventh supported a Travelers bullpen that cancelled out four errors by holding the Naturals (2-1) scoreless for the final four innings at Dickey-Stephens Park. Home runs by Jake Scheiner and Jake Anchia provided the Travs a boost, and right-hander Nick Durron (1-0) earned his first win of the season, striking out four over two innings in relief. Naturals shortstop Angelo Castellano went 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBI. Gray (0-1) was charged with the loss.
The win marked first of Cowgill's managerial career.
"It feels better than I thought it was going to feel," he said. "We just had a great time celebrating in the locker room. It's pretty special."
Castellano sent a 2-0 pitch over the left-field fence to open the scoring in the second inning. Scheiner leveled the score in the bottom frame with a shot that sailed 441 feet to left center and left the bat at 112 mph.
Castellano struck again in the third inning, sending a first-pitch single off Travs starter Ian McKinney into right field to score Brewer Hicklen, giving the Naturals a 2-1 lead. Castellano is now 5 for 12 on the season with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.
McKinney settled after the third and recorded an eight-pitch, 1-2-3 inning in the fourth before retiring the side again in the fifth. He threw 78 pitches over 5.o innings, striking out 9 and issuing 1 walk in his season debut.
Gray replaced Naturals starter Marcelo Martinez (5 IP, 1 ER, 9 Ks) in the sixth and allowed a home run to Anchia, the first batter he faced, tying the game 2-2. Anchia went 1-2 with a walk in his season debut. Gray walked a pair to load the bases later in the inning before Bobby Honeyman flew out to right field to end the inning.
The Travs tagged Gray for two more in the decisive seventh, which began with Masters reaching second on a double that Castellano let fall in shallow left field. Lien drove him in with the triple, and later scored on Wrenn's sacrifice fly to center.
"Connor is a difference maker when he's right," Cowgill said. "We had a long talk with him a few days ago about just how special we think he can be. Tonight was just a little glimpse of it."
Durron replaced McKinney and handed it off to right-hander Darin Gillies, who wiggled out of the eighth inning with Nick Pratto on third base. He returned for a second inning of work in the ninth walked a pair to load the bases before exiting with one out. Side-arm pitcher Jack Anderson entered to secure the win and did so, forcing fly outs from Bobby Witt Jr. and Nick Pratto to earn the save.
Game four of the six-game series begins at 7:10 tonight at Dickey-Stephens Park.
NW ARK AB R H BI ARKANSAS AB R H BI
Blanco, cf 5 0 1 0 Kopach, lf 2 0 0 0
Witt Jr., 3b 5 0 1 0 Wrenn, rf 3 0 0 1
Pratto, 1b 4 0 0 0 Rizzo, 2b 3 0 0 0
Hicklen, lf 4 1 0 0 O’Keefe, dh 3 0 0 0
Carrasco, dh 3 0 0 0 Scheiner, 1b 4 1 1 1
Cstllano, ss 4 1 2 2 Honeymn, 3b 3 0 1 0
Bewley, 2b 4 0 0 0 Masters, ss 4 1 1 0
Cropley, c 3 0 1 0 Lien, cf 3 1 1 1
Martin, rf 2 0 1 0 Anchia, c 2 1 1 1
TOTALS 34 2 6 2 TOTALS 27 4 5 4
NW Arkansas.................011 000 000 — 2 6 0
Arkansas...................... 010 001 20x — 4 5 4
E — Rizzo, Honeyman, Anchia, Masers. DP — NW
Arkansas 1. LOB — NW Arkansas 10, Arkansas 6. 2B
— Masters. 3B — Lien. HR — Castellano (1), Scheiner
(2), Anchia (1). SAC — Martin. SF — Wrenn. SB
— Blanco, Hicklen, Pratto, Kopach.
NW ARKANSAS IP H R ER BB SO
Martinez 5 2 1 1 0 9
Gray L, 0-1 1 3 3 3 4 1
Snider 1 0 0 0 0 0
Nunez 1 0 0 0 2 2
ARKANSAS IP H R ER BB SO
McKinney 5 5 2 2 1 9
Duron W, 1-0 2 1 0 0 0 4
Gillies 11/3 0 0 0 3 3
Anderson S, 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 0
WP — Gillies. Umpires — Home: Hendrix; First:
Barba; Third: Fernandez. Time — 3.:15. Attendance — 2,481.
Today's game
ARKANSAS TRAVELERS VS. NW ARKANSAS NATURALS
WHEN 7:10 p.m.
WHERE Dickey-Stephens Park, North Little Rock
RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas
WEBSITES travs.com, nwanaturals.com
PITCHERS Travs: RHP Penn Murfee (first start of 2021); Naturals: RHP Stephen Woods Jr. (first start of 2021)
TICKETS $12 box (available in pods of 1, 2, 4, 6); $8 reserved (available in pods of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6); $6 general admission. Available only online at travs.com; no in-person sales.
PROMOTIONS Magnet schedule giveaway
TRAVS WEEK AHEAD
TODAY vs. NW Arkansas, 7:10 p.m.
SATURDAY vs. NW Arkansas, 6:10 p.m.
SUNDAY vs. NW Arkansas, 2:10 p.m.
MONDAY Off
TUESDAY vs. Springfield, 11 a.m.
WEDNESDAY vs. Springfield, 7:10 p.m.
THURSDAY vs. Springfield, 7:10 p.m.
NATURALS WEEK AHEAD
TODAY at Arkansas, 7:10 p.m.
SATURDAY at Arkansas, 6:10 p.m.
SUNDAY at Arkansas, 2:10 p.m.
MONDAY Off
TUESDAY vs. Tulsa, 7:05 p.m.
WEDNESDAY vs. Tulsa, 7:05 p.m.
THURSDAY vs. Tulsa, 7:05 p.m.