SPRINGDALE -- Northwest Arkansas' Jordan George hit the first pitch he saw to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning Friday night, sending the ball over the center fielder's head and scoring Blake Perkins with the winning run in a thrilling 3-2 Texas League victory over Tulsa.
Per league rules, teams begin with a runner on second base in extra innings. Perkins was placed on second and didn't take long to round third and send the Naturals to the first three-game win streak since early July.
Naturals starter J.C. Cloney was brilliant for seven innings, allowing just one fifth-inning single and striking out five. Cloney retired the first 12 batters he faced.
"We just put down a gameplan tonight of what we wanted to do, and it was just a matter of going out and executing it," Cloney said. "Everything started with the fastball, and once we got that working on both sides I was just working off that. We got it working early and often, and things went well."
Unfortunately, the bullpen couldn't keep the slate clean, as the Drillers quickly got to reliever Dan Tillo in the eighth. Chris Parmelee singled, setting up a 2-run blast by pinch-hitter Connor Wong who tied the game with a line drive over the left-field wall.
Tillo (1-1) settled down to pitch the final three frames to actually earn the win. He allowed just three hits and fanned one.
Northwest Arkansas right fielder Khalil Lee sparked the Naturals early with a spectacular catch in foul territory to end the top of the second. He then led off the bottom of the inning with a single and came around to score on a Jordan George single to right. A perfectly executed safety squeeze bunt by Angelo Castellano then brought home Emmanuel Rivera to make it 2-0.
The Naturals outhit the Drillers 8-4, as George, Lee, Rivera and D.J. Burt each had a pair of hits for Northwest Arkansas.
"Growing up I've always wanted to lead by example, so hopefully this keeps us going in the right direction," Cloney said. "This team knows what we need to do. Brady Singer just had a great outing to kind of turn things around, so hopefully we can finish the season off strong."
SHORT HOPS
The Northwest Arkansas defense turned two double plays in the game, including a crucial one to end a threat in the top of the 10th. Tulsa's Donovan Casey began the inning on second base and was doubled up when Carlos Rincon's line drive was caught by Naturals shortstop Kevin Merrell, who then tossed to second-baseman Gabriel Cancel.
The Naturals were caught stealing in their only two attempts Friday night but are still tied with the Montgomery Biscuits for the most in all of minor league baseball with 186 swipes on the season. They are trying to become the first Texas League team to break the 200 stolen base mark since they did it with 205 in 2011.
Northwest Arkansas' last three-game win streak came on July 3-5, including two of those wins coming at Tulsa.
ON DECK: Northwest Arkansas will try to extend its win streak to four today, sending right-hander Scott Blewett (0-2, 6.14 ERA) to the mound against Tulsa, who will counter with fellow righty Markus Solbach (2-0, 0.89 ). First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
TODAY'S PROMOTIONS: The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive the first-ever "bobble-legs" giveaway, which depicts the Royals shortstop and speedster Adalberto Mondesi, a former 2015-16 Natural. The Bullpen Craft Beer Bar will have Happy Hour fro, prior to the 6:05 p.m. first pitch. Adults can enjoy half-price specials on over 120 alcoholic beverages. Happy Hours also feature BBQ Sliders for only $1.50 or six (6) for $6, served out of The Bullpen Concession Stand. The BBQ Sliders are only available during Happy Hour. Fans can play Power Blast Baseball with Cox's Virtual Reality Experience, live during the game, out by the Kansas City Royals Kids Zone.
ON THE AIR: KQSM-FM 92.1
ON THE WEB: www. milb.com/northwest-arkansas
Sports on 08/17/2019