NATURALS EXPLODE FOR 11 RUNS IN RAIN-SHORTENED WIN OVER TRAVS

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR – The Northwest Arkansas Naturals offense broke out Saturday night at Dickey-Stephens Park, with 11 runs on 12 hits, matching the run total from the first four games of the series and hit total from the last three. The team used an 11-4 win in eight innings over the Arkansas Travelers to snap a five-game losing streak.

The game looked bleak early for Northwest Arkansas, as the Travelers opened the first inning with four runs on four hits off starting pitcher Will Klein, for an early 4-0 lead.

Dante Biasi took over for Klein with two runners on and two outs in the second inning and produced his best outing of the year, throwing 4.1 hitless and scoreless innings, while tying a career-high with seven strikeouts and retiring the final eight batters he faced, improving his record to 3-0 in 2022.

The Naturals responded to the Travelers’ four-run first with 11 unanswered runs, scoring at least once in each of the next seven innings. It marked the second time in franchise history and first time in the regular season that the Naturals’ scored runs in seven straight innings

Robbie Glendinning started the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the second, then Michael Massey tied the score at 4-4 in the third with a three-run homer, his team-leading seventh of the season.

Tucker Bradley gave Northwest Arkansas the lead with a single in the fourth, then Glendinning doubled in two and Bradley singled in one in the fifth to add insurance and push the score to 8-4.

Logan Porter’s third single of the night brought across the Naturals ninth run, then Nick Loftin drove in a run with a sac fly in the seventh and Glendinning drove across his fourth run of the night with a fielder’s choice in the eighth, moments before the game was called.

Walter Pennington pitched a scoreless and hitless seventh inning for the Naturals, combining with Biasi to keep the Travelers hitless across the final five innings of the game.

While the game was called in the top of the eighth with heavy rain pouring onto the field at Dickey-Stephens Park, the Naturals ended the night with hits from seven different players, including four multi-hit games, led by Porter’s three-hit night.

Bradley drove in two runs, while Massey brought home three, each scoring twice and drawing two walks as well, while Glendinning went 2-for-4 with four RBI.

The Naturals will try to end the series on a strong note Sunday afternoon, as Anthony Veneziano heads to the mound at 1:35 p.m. CT against the Travelers.