NW Arkansas Naturals 3 Springfield Cardinals 2 F/10
NW wins series 3 -1
After three games of big offensive performances, the Naturals finished of the division series with some solid pitching. Starter Josh Staumont backed up his 12 strikeout performance last time out with another solid outing. The righty and the Cardinals starter each blanked the teams over the first three innings until a pair of hits in the fourth off Staumont broke the scoreless tie. The Naturals, who came into the game with nine home runs, quickly tied it with an absolute bomb from Ryan O’Hearn, measured at 445 feet by Trackman. The score held steady until a Paul DeJong home run off Staumont in the sixth put Springfield up 2-1. The home run finished off an otherwise solid performance with 11 strikeouts and just two runs allowed in six innings for the Royals farmhand.
The Naturals tied the game in the seventh when Logan Moon doubled in Cam Gallagher after his single and a sac bunt that pushed him to second base. After a ninth inning that saw NW Arkansas get a runner to third with jut one out and fail to score the game went to extras. With relievers Reid Redman and Mark Peterson spinning zeroes through the tenth inning, the offense was able to manufacture a threat. A leadoff walk of O’Hearn and a passed ball pushed the Naturals power hitter to second and onto third following a groundout by Frank Schwindel. The Cardinals would setup a double play opportunity by walking Samir Duenez and the slow-footed Cam Gallagher coming to the plate. Knowing that possibility manager Vance Wilson would employ a counter strategy to score the winning run, asking Gallagher to squeeze bunt. The play would work with O’Hearn speeding home and avoiding the catchers tag to slide off with a victory.
The win pushes the Naturals into the championship series versus the Midland RockHounds for the second consecutive season and for the fourth time in Naturals franchise history.
Ryan O’Hearn 1-4, 2R, HR
Cam Gallagher 1-3, R, RBI, BB
Josh Staumont 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 11 K, 2-2 GO-FO, 91p/57k