TEXAS LEAGUE : Naturals hammer away at Cardinals
Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/225405/
SPRINGDALE — The Northwest Arkansas Naturals ended their most successful homestand yet with authority Saturday night.
The Naturals established a franchise record with 19 hits and enjoyed another strong outing by ace Carlos Rosa in a 10-2 victory over Springfield at Arvest Ballpark.
Northwest Arkansas (19-17 ) completed the eight-game homestand with seven victories and has won 12 of its past 15 games. The Naturals, who will take today off, opened a two-game lead over Springfield (17-19 ) for first place in the Texas League’s North Division.
The 19 hits smashed the previous Naturals record of 14 set on opening day at San Antonio, and they were one shy of the team’s single-game mark of 11 runs.
“We staked Rosa to an early lead,” Naturals Manager Brian Poldberg said. “It’s nice to give him that lead so he can relax and stay aggressive.”
The Naturals scored in each inning except the second and seventh, taking a 7-0 lead into the sixth. They had at least one hit in every inning.
Rosa (4-2 ) retired the first nine Cardinals in succession and faced the minimum through four innings. He pitched 6 scoreless innings, allowed 3 hits, struck out 4, walked 1 and lowered his league-leading ERA to 1. 20.
“He had command of his fastball, his slider was good, and he used his changeup,” Poldberg said. “When he’s got all three pitches working, he’s going to be tough. He’s around the strike zone, which makes hitters more aggressive, and he goes after people.”
Rain and hail delayed the start of the game for 24 minutes, but the Naturals wasted no time hammering Springfield starter Adam Ottavino (0-4 ) once the game started.
Singles by leadoff hitter Jose Duarte and Angel Sanchez put runners on first and third with no outs, and Duarte scored the first run when Geraldo Valentin hit into a 6-3 double play. Juan Richardson’s third home run of the year, a shot into the right-field bullpen, gave the Naturals a 2-0 lead.
Richardson, who played for Springfield the past two years before the Kansas City Royals signed him as a free agent, went 4 for 5 and scored 3 runs Saturday.
“He’s a great player,” Springfield Manager Pop Warner said of Richardson, 29. “He’s a threat every time he’s out there. You hate to lose a guy like that, but it’s great to see him do well. I just don’t want to see him do well against us.”
The Naturals chased Ottavino during a three-run third inning during which Springf ield committed three errors.
Warner lifted Ottavino after two errors and a sacrifice fly by Valentin gave the Naturals a 3-0 lead with one out. Nick Webber entered the game with the bases loaded, and Northwest Arkansas scored two more on a fielder’s choice that included the third error.
Northwest Arkansas added a run off Webber in the fourth with an RBI single to right by Sanchez.
Marco Gonzalez replaced Webber in the fifth, but the Cardinals fared no better as the Naturals went ahead 7-0 on an RBI single by Brian McFall.
The sixth inning was the third inning in a row that Northwest Arkansas strung together three consecutive hits, and the Naturals tacked on two more runs off Bob Zimmerman with RBI hits from Mario Lisson and Irving Falu.