The Springfield Cardinals won the opening game of the series against the Tulsa Drillers, 6-3, before 6,651 fans at Hammons Field on Saturday night.
The Cardinals and Drillers continue to battle for the 1st Half Championship with only nine games left in the half. Since Tulsa will only play 69 games in the half due to a rain out, winning percentage will determing the 1st Half Winner. The Drillers are currently 34-26 with a .567 winning percentage, just ahead of the Cardinals who are 34-27 with a .557 winning percentage.
The Drillers dealt the first blow in the top of the first against RHP Luke Weaver (W, 2-0). With one down, 2B Willie Calhoun pulled a solo shot to right field, opening the early advantage. Tulsa got the next two men into scoring position, but then Weaver dug in with two strikeouts around a walk to ultimately strand the bases loaded and get out of the first with Tulsa only ahead, 1-0.
The Cardinals wasted no time in responding, swinging in front in the bottom of the first against RHP Jeremy Kehrt (L, 0-2). CF Harrison Bader led off with an infield single, before trotting in on a two-run shot that LF Jonathan Rodriguez lasered over the left field fence, catapulting the Cardinals into the 2-1 lead.
After Weaver dealt a scoreless top of the second with two more strikeouts, the Cardinals added to their lead in the bottom of the second. SS Bruce Caldwell opened the inning with a double drilled to right-center field. 2B Mason Katz followed with a single, putting runners at the corners with nobody down. Kehrt was able to induce a 4-6-3 double play ball off the bat of RF Collin Radack, but Caldwell charged home on the play to increase the Cardinals lead to 3-1.
Weaver shut down the Drillers through the remainder of his start, keeping Tulsa at only the one run through his five innings. After setting a career-high with 10 strikeouts in his Double-A debut on June 5, Weaver wrapped up with nine strikeouts on Saturday, including a pair of looking strikeouts in a row to end his final frame in the fifth.
The Cardinals then rallied with two down in the bottom of the fifth to pad the lead. Pinch-hitting C Luis Cruz started the stanza with a single, but was followed by two straight outs recorded by Kehrt. Rehabbing St. Louis Cardinals C Brayan Pena came through with a two-out base hit through the left side, extending the inning for 1B Luke Voit. Voit worked a walk to load the bases, chasing Kehrt from the mound. With RHP Ralston Cash taking over, 3B Paul DeJong battled out an RBI walk, forcing in Cruz from third base for DeJong's team-best 39th RBI and the 4-1 lead for Springfield.
Cardinals RHP Chris Perry dealt a scoreless top of the sixth, followed by more Cardinals offense in the bottom of the sixth. Katz got the charge going with his second single of the night. After Radack was hit by a pitch, Cash got Cruz to strike out while attempting a sacrifice bunt. Bader, though, followed with a free pass to load the bases for Rodriguez. Rodriguez promptly lined an RBI single up the middle, plating Katz from third base to make it 5-1.
Perry kept the four-run lead intact with a scoreless seventh, but the Drillers chipped the deficit down in the eighth. Facing RHP Heath Wyatt, 1B Cody Bellinger and pinch-hitting 1B Lars Anderson collected back-to-back singles, putting runners at the corners. Bellinger then darted home on an RBI fielder's choice from C Tyler Ogle, bringing the Drillers within three runs, 5-2.
The Cardinals got the run back right away. Leading off the bottom of the eighth, Katz hammered a solo home run to left-center field, his first Double-A long-ball and his third hit of the night, opening the lead to 6-2.
Tulsa had one last comeback attempt in the top of the ninth against RHP Kevin Herget (S, 2). Herget struck out the inning's first batter, before Calhoun rifled a double to right field. One out later, CF Alex Verdugo drove an RBI double to left-center field, bringing in Calhoun to bring Tulsa within three runs. However, Herget got Bellinger to fly out to left field with one pitch, slamming the door on the Drillers and closing the 6-3 win for Springfield.
