Owen Six Ks, Johnson's Two RBI lift Nats to 5-2 Win Wednesday

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS -- Hunter Owen struck out six while Justin Johnson drove in a pair of runs in the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (31-28) 5-2 win over the Arkansas Travelers (29-30) at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, AR on Wednesday. The series continues Thursday with a 6:35 PM CT first pitch.

The Naturals got on the board in the second inning, taking a 2-0 lead. Brett Squires singled with one out and went to second when Spencer Nivens earned a two-out walk. Justin Johnson arrived at the plate and doubled to left, driving in both runners to give NWA a 2-0 edge. The Travelers got one run back in the bottom of the inning, but Hunter Owen was stingy on the hill holding the Travs to one run on four hits.

NWA plated two more runs in the seventh against Travs relievers Jason Ruffcorn and Nick Davila. Dustin Dickerson led off the inning with an infield single and Nivens cracked a single of his own to right. A passed ball moved each runner up before Jack Pineda grounded out to first, allowing Dickerson to score. A wild pitch brought home Nivens, who had backfilled third after Dickerson scored, and the Naturals took a 4-1 lead.

Rudy Martin drove in another run in the top of the ninth to put the Nats up 5-1, and while Arkansas scored in the bottom of the ninth, Caden Monke and company held on for a 5-2 win.

The Naturals and Travelers continue their series on Thursday with a 6:35 PM CT first pitch at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, AR. Fans can follow the action with the “Voice of the Naturals,” Shawn Murnin, on MiLB.TV, MLB.TV, the MiLB and MLB Apps, and nwanaturals.com with a subscription. Free audio is available through the MiLB App and team website, and fans can also stream for free on the Bally Sports Live app.