SPRINGDALE, AR – Carson Roccaforte hit his 10th home run of the season and Colton Becker went 4-for-4, but the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (19-15) fell to the Arkansas Travelers (20-15) at Arvest Ballpark on Wednesday night, 9-8 in 11 innings. The Naturals continue their six-game set against the Travelers on Thursday, with first pitch at 7:05 PM CT.
Roccaforte’s three-run homer to right field gave the Nats a 4-0 lead in the second inning. The lefty became the first player in the Royals system to reach double-digit homers in 2026.
Becker hit an RBI single in the fourth, giving NWA a 5-2 advantage. The second baseman had himself a four-hit evening. He picked up the RBI knock and scored a pair of runs Wednesday.
Rudy Martin Jr. and Sam Kulasingam each drove in a run in the seventh to make it 7-5, Naturals. The Nats held that lead into the ninth, but the Travelers rallied against reliever Brandon Johnson. Michael Arroyo hit a game-tying RBI single to send the contest to extra innings.
Jorge Alfaro recorded his second RBI of the game via sacrifice fly in the 10th, but the Naturals were unable to score in the 11th frame. They lost 9-8 in their first 11-inning affair of the season, and fell out of first place in the process.
Félix Arronde was sharp out of the gate for the Naturals. The right-hander dealt three hitless innings, but surrendered two homers to Charlie Pagliarini and ended up allowing five runs over five frames.
The Naturals face off against the Travelers in the third game of the six-game series on Thursday at 7:05 PM CT. Fans can enjoy $2 drafts at two locations, $2 peanuts and $1 small Coca-Cola fountain drinks, presented by O’Gary Construction Group. 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 of all 138 games with the "Voice of the Naturals", Shawn Murnin, on the MiLB app and NWANaturals.com.