NATURALS FALL IN BACK-AND-FORTH AFFAIR TO TRAVELERS

Garcia drives in two runs, Gentry delivers three hits but Naturals fall run short in 5-4 loss.

Shortstop Maikel Garcia went 3-for-5 with two RBI doubles in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Travelers. (Alan Jamison)

By Naturals PR Department

June 15, 2022

SPRINGDALE, AR – The Northwest Arkansas Naturals fell a run short in a back-and-forth game Wednesday night, as the Arkansas Travelers came out ahead 5-4 to even the week’s series. After the Travelers scored in the first, the Naturals tied the game in the third on an RBI double from

SPRINGDALE, AR – The Northwest Arkansas Naturals fell a run short in a back-and-forth game Wednesday night, as the Arkansas Travelers came out ahead 5-4 to even the week’s series.

After the Travelers scored in the first, the Naturals tied the game in the third on an RBI double from Maikel Garcia that scored Tucker Bradley. When Arkansas took the lead back in the top of the fourth, Garcia doubled Bradley home again in the bottom half to even the score back at 2-2.

Northwest Arkansas took its only lead of the night in the fifth inning, when Logan Porter scored from third on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Sebastian Rivero.

Starting Dante Biasi threw just 64 pitches across 5.0 innings of work, striking out just one but holding the Travelers to only two runs on six hits.

Biasi was followed out of the bullpen by a pair of Major League rehabbers, Gabe Speier and Matt Peacock. Speier pitched a scoreless sixth with a pair of strikeouts, pitching in Northwest Arkansas for the first time since 2019. Peacock pitched the seventh and allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and was charged with the loss.

After the Travelers plated two in the seventh and one in the ninth, Nick Loftin led off the bottom of the ninth with a double to bring the tying run to the plate, then he scored on a sacrifice fly from Porter, but the Naturals couldn’t push the tying run across, dropping their 13th one-run game this season.

Back at .500 (29-29), Northwest Arkansas will try and rebound Thursday at 7:05 p.m. CT with Zack Phillips starting on the mound.