Dunn's Pitching and Knapp's Grand Slam Carry Travs

Springfield, MO-The Arkansas Travelers broke out early and avoided a sweep with an 8-2 win over the Springfield Cardinals on Wednesday. A six-run third inning provided much of the offense with Aaron Knapp's grand slam highlighting the action. Cardinals' starter Harold Arauz was knocked out in that third inning after being dinged for seven runs total. Justin Dunn was very good in the start on the other side as he worked six shutout innings. It was Dunn's second longest outing of the season as he struck out seven with no walks and allowed just four hits, all singles.
Moments That Mattered
* Jordan Cowan ripped an RBI single to put the Travs up two in the third. It was the first hit of the day for Arkansas with a runner in scoring position after going 0-7 to start.
* After Joe DeCarlo pushed the lead to three with an RBI single, Aaron Knapp unloaded with a grand slam to right-center to bust the game open.
Notable Travs Performances
* SS Donnie Walton: 2-3, 2 BB, run, 2B
* 3B Chris Mariscal: 2-3, 2 BB, run
* 2B Jordan Cowan: 3-5, run, RBI
* 1B Nick Zammarelli: 2-4, BB, run, RBI
* RF Aaron Knapp: 2-4, run, HR, 4 RBI
* RHP Justin Dunn: Win, 6 IP, 4 H, 7 K
News and Notes
* The win was the first of the season for the Travs in a day game on the road.
* Dan Altavilla rejoined the Travs bullpen after being optioned down from Seattle. RHP Carlos Hernandez was transferred to Extended Spring Training by the Mariners.
* Knapp's homer was the team's second grand slam of 2019 (Logan Taylor, May 2).
Up Next
The roadtrip continues with the first of four in Tulsa on Thursday night with a 7:05 first pitch. Left-hander Ricardo Sánchez (4-2, 3.15) goes for the Travs against a yet to be announced starter for the Drillers. The game will be broadcast on the Sports Animal 920, the First Pitch App, TuneIn radio and milb.tv.