Orlando Calixte hits walk-off homer for Northwest Arkansas

Better late than never for Orlando Calixte and Class AA Northwest Arkansas.

Calixte, who made his season debut Saturday, hit a walk-off home run with one out in the ninth inning on Sunday as the Naturals beat Springfield 9-8. Calixte, who is from the Dominican Republic, reportedly had trouble with his visa and missed the start of the season. When he got to the U.S., Calixte spent time at extended spring training, but the Royals assigned him to Northwest Arkansas on Saturday.

The winning home run was Calixte’s second of the game. He hit a solo shot in the fifth inning that gave the Naturals a 7-3 lead. However, the bullpen couldn’t maintain the lead as the Cardinals scored three in the sixth. Justin Trapp homered in the seventh, but the Cardinals tied the game at 8-8 with a two-run eighth inning.

That set the stage for Calixte’s heroics.

Northwest Arkansas trailed 2-0 in the third when it pushed across six runs. Jorge Bonifacio’s grand slam was the key blow. It was his second home run of the season.

Starter J.C. Sulbaran allowed three runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out two.

, 1-0, allowed just one walk in two scoreless innings.

• New Orleans has had Class AAA Omaha’s number this season, winning all six meetings between the clubs, including Sunday’s 10-4 victory.

tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings with two walks and two strikeouts in his return to the Storm Chasers.

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This story was originally published May 11, 2014 at 11:57 PM with the headline "Orlando Calixte hits walk-off homer for Northwest Arkansas."