SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI -- Carson Roccaforte and Justin Johnson each homered twice in the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (16-24, 45-62) 15-8 win over the Springfield Cardinals (24-16, 55-53) on Tuesday night at Route 66 Stadium in Springfield, MO. The two teams continue their series Wednesday with a 7:05 PM CT first pitch.
The Naturals jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to a two-out rally in the first inning. Carson Roccaforte hit his league-leading 28th home run of the season to start the scoring, but the Nats weren't done there. Spencer Nivens doubled, Daniel Vazquez reached on an infield single, and Javier Vaz hammered his first homer of the season to make it a 4-0 game.
The Cardinals clawed back two runs on a long ball of their own in the bottom of the frame. The Naturals scored again in the top of the third on a two-run shot from Johnson, part of a three-run inning. Two more came in during the fourth before the Cardinals scored five in the bottom of the inning to get within two runs at 9-7.
Johnson blasted off again in the fifth to make it an 11-7 game. It was the first multi-homer game of his career and his eighth blast of the season, tying his total from 2025 with NWA.
Roccaforte returned to the plate with one on and one out in the seventh and made history with his swing. The lefty connected on a line drive over the wall to left, blasting his 29th homer of the year. The clout tied Carson with Clint Robinson (2010) for the second-most homers in a single season for a Natural. Roccaforte is two away from tying the Naturals single-season record.
Nivens tripled home another run in the top of the ninth and eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it 15-7. The Cards got a solo homer in the bottom of the inning, but Zachary Cawyer closed out the ninth in the 15-8 win.
Frank Mozzicato (2-4) earned the win out of the bullpen, tossing a scoreless 1.2 innings with two walks and five strikeouts.
The Naturals and Cardinals continue their series on Wednesday with a 7:05 PM CT first pitch. Fans can hear the radio broadcast with the "Voice of the Naturals", Shawn Murnin, on the call at www.NWANaturals.com and the MiLB App.