Johnson goes 5-for-5 as Travelers roll

Sherman Johnson managed to hit the ball hard Saturday night. A lot.

The Angels infield prospect racked up five hits, tying a career high, as Double A Arkansas beat Springfield, 9-5, at Hammons Field.

Johnson collected a homer, two doubles and two singles while going 5-for-5 for the Travelers. He scored four runs, matching another personal best set with Class A Advanced Inland Empire on Aug. 14, 2014. It was first time a member of the Travelers notched five hits since Kaleb Cowart managed the feat on April 4, 2014.

"I was feeling pretty good," Johnson said. "The wind was blowing out and this field, it's a definitely a better hitter's park than our home field. I was just trying to make hard contact, I was fortunate that they fell."

Johnson's last five-hit game also came with Inland Empire on Aug. 30, 2014, when he went 5-for-6 in a winning effort at Lancaster. Like he did that night, the Florida native felt that all his effort against Springfield meant was that he was putting good swings on the ball.

"Anytime that you can hit the ball hard that's a plus, and it's even better when they do fall for hits," he said. "That's a great feeling."

Johnson helped the Travelers get within two hits of tying their season high of 17.

"A lot of different guys swung the bats well," he said. "That old saying 'hitting is contagious' and tonight, for us, it was. Everybody was barreling the baseball, battling with two strikes, taking their walks. Overall, it was a great night at the plate for everybody."

After compiling a .639 OPS in 135 Texas League games last season, Johnson is off to a strong start, putting together a .365/.500/.673 slash line in 16 games. The 2012 14th-round pick said he hopes that showing he can be consistent will help him reach Triple-A for the first time.

"I'm feeling pretty good," Johnson said. "You can't really look at the average, you have to stay with the process. It's still early. so your average can jump either way whether you're going to hit or not. All you can control is getting better every day. That's what I try and focus on."

Chad Hinshaw, the Angels' No. 9 prospect, was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored and two stolen bases, while Andrew Daniel slugged a two-run homer.

Arkansas starter Kyle McGowin (3-2) allowed five runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over six innings.

Cardinals No. 10 prospect Harrison Bader homered for the third straight game for Springfield.