TEXAS LEAGUE
NATURALS 4, TRAVELERS 3 (10)
With extra-inning rules in place, Erick Mejia doubled with one out to score Alfredo Escalera from third base as Northwest Arkansas rallied from a 2-0 deficit for a 4-3 victory in 10 innings over the Arkansas Travelers before 6,630 at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock on Sunday.
All minor-league levels now begin the first extra inning with a runner at second base. Usually, that will be the person who was the final batter in the team's previous at-bat.
"It is what it is," Naturals Manager Mike Rojas said. "For me, I would prefer seeing the regular game of baseball being played. I'm not sure it is hurrying the game up at all, if anything it has extended it. But you still have to live by it."
Escalera, who popped out to second base for the third out in the Naturals half of the ninth, was put at second to open the 10th.
Nick Heath grounded out to first base, allowing Escalera to move up a base. Nick Dini was hit by a pitch before Mejia hit a 2-0 pitch from the Travelers' second reliever, Wyatt Mills (0-2), to drive in the winning run.
Dini, who moved to third on the double, was out at the plate on a ground ball to Mills. Samir Duenez grounded out to catcher Joseph Odom to end the inning.
Eric Filia, the Travelers' right fielder, started the bottom of the 10th at second but could not advance. Joey Curletta was called out on strikes before Dario Pizzano worked Grant Gavin for a four-pitch walk. Kyle Lewis struck out swinging, then Logan Taylor grounded out to first to end the game.
Travelers' outfielder Chuck Taylor led off the bottom of the first with a single to center, then moved to third on successive groundouts. A passed ball allowed him to score before Curletta flew out to the warning track in center for the third out.
Shortstop Yonathan Mendoza led off the Travelers' third with a walk. He scored on a one-out double from Chuck Taylor, his second hit of the game, for a 2-0 Arkansas lead.
Duenez led off the Naturals' seventh with a bunt single down the third-base line against the Travelers' shift. Kelvin Gutierrez took a called third strike before a double from Anderson Miller drove in Duenez.
Singles from Heath and Dini put runners on in the eighth, both of them scoring on a single from Jecksson Flores and a sacrifice fly by Duenez, putting the Naturals up 3-2.
The Travelers tied the game in the ninth on a two-out, pinch-hit double by Beau Amaral.
Sports on 08/27/2018