12TH MULTI-HOMER GAME OF SEASON PUSHES ROAD WIN STREAK TO FIVE
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals sent multiple balls over the fence for the 12th time through 29 games in 2021, topping the Frisco RoughRiders 7-4 in the second of a six-game series Wednesday night. It was the club’s fifth straight win on the road, dating back to May 21 and the
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals sent multiple balls over the fence for the 12th time through 29 games in 2021, topping the Frisco RoughRiders 7-4 in the second of a six-game series Wednesday night. It was the club’s fifth straight win on the road, dating back to May 21 and the team’s trip to Springfield against the Cardinals.
MJ Melendez (MLB Pipeline’s No. 14 Royals’ prospect) started the scoring early, connecting on a two-run shot in the first inning that scored Bobby Witt Jr. (MLB Pipeline’s No. 7 prospect in baseball) from first base, the catcher’s eighth home run of the year.
Dennicher Carrasco connected on his third of the season in the eighth inning, a solo shot that added insurance for the Naturals and pushed the score to the 7-4 that ended up as the final.
In between the long balls, Northwest Arkansas struck for four runs on the third, including three RBI doubles. After Dairon Blanco led off with a bunt single and took second on a wild pitch, Rudy Martin singled him home. Martin scored on a Nick Pratto (MLB Pipeline’s No. 9 Royals’ prospect) double, then Pratto crossed the plate on a Travis Jones double. Jones scored the fourth run of the inning when he came around on a Carrasco double.
Backed by six runs of support through the game’s first three innings, starter Jon Heasley (MLB Pipeline’s No. 13 Royals’ prospect) settled into a groove, pitching just six miles from where he went to high school at Prestonwood Christian Academy High School in Plano, Texas. He improved his record to 2-0 on the season.
Heasley allowed three earned runs on six hits across five innings of work, while striking out six. In a stretch from the end of the second through the end of the fourth, he faced the minimum across seven batters while striking out three, going on to punch out five of the final nine batters he faced.
Robert Garcia contributed two scoreless innings while striking out two, then Carlos Sanabria fired a scoreless eighth inning with two strikeouts. Dylan Coleman only needed nine pitches to finish things off in the ninth, securing his third save of the year.
A game above .500 at 15-14, the Naturals look to put together a three-game winning streak Thursday night against Frisco, once again with first pitch at 7:05 p.m.