SPRINGDALE, AR – Félix Arronde dealt six scoreless innings and led the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (11-12, 40-50) to a 9-4 win over the Springfield Cardinals (13-10, 44-47) on Wednesday night at Arvest Ballpark. The Naturals continue their six-game set against the Cardinals on Thursday, with first pitch at 7:05 PM CT.
Daniel Vázquez got the Naturals on the board early with an RBI double to plate Luke Pelzer in the first inning, which gave Northwest Arkansas a 1-0 advantage. The Nats added to their lead in the fourth with an Omar Hernandez two-run homer to left, making it a 3-0 ballgame.
Félix Arronde (5-3) held the lead through six scoreless innings. The Royals’ No. 12 prospect (MLB Pipeline) allowed just two hits, punched out five Cardinals and notched his fifth win of the season.
The Naturals scored five in the bottom of the sixth, capped off by back-to-back RBI singles from Pelzer and Sam Kulasingam. Pelzer had a second consecutive three-hit game, giving him six hits in his first two Double-A contests. After Springfield scored four in the top of the eighth to break up the shutout bid, Kulasingam connected on his eighth homer of the season in the bottom half to give NWA a 9-4 edge.
Dennis Colleran Jr. pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to finish off the game and gave the Naturals an eighth win in their past 10 games.
The Naturals face the Cardinals in the third game of the six-game series on Thursday at 7:05 PM CT. Fans can enjoy $2 drafts, $2 peanuts and $1 small Coca-Cola fountain drinks. Fans can get their tickets at NWANaturals.com for the remainder of the series.
As always, fans can follow along through the Naturals' TV broadcast, available with a subscription to MLB.tv or the MiLB App and for free through the Bally Live Sports App. Additionally, you can listen to the radio call with the "Voice of the Naturals", Shawn Murnin, all season long on the MiLB app and NWANaturals.com.