The Springfield Cardinals reclaimed 1st place in the North Division First Half Standings with a 7-6 come-from-behind win against the Tulsa Drillers before 3,087 fans at Hammons Field on Tuesday night. RF Anthony Garcia (3×4, 3 RBI), 2B Bruce Caldwell (3×4, 1 RBI) and LF Jonathan Rodriguez (1×3, 2 RBI) combined for all six of the Cardinals RBIs and seven of the club's nine hits in the game.
With the win, the Cardinals won the series, 3-games-to-1, and move a half-game back in front of Tulsa with only six games remaining in the 1st Half. Since Tulsa will only play 69 games in the half due to a rain out, winning percentage will determine the 1st Half Winner. The Cardinals are currently 36-28 with a .563 winning percentage, leading the Drillers who are 35-28 with a .556 winning percentage.
Both sides once again exchanged runs right out of the gates, with the Drillers striking first in the top of the first against RHP J.C. Sulbaran. CF Andrew Toles led off the game with a single, before swiping second base as Sulbaran struck out 3B Brandon Trinkwon. A groundout moved Toles to third, followed by a two-out RBI triple from RF Alex Verdugo that plated Toles for the 1-0 lead.
As they had throughout the series, the Cardinals answered right away with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first against RHP Tim Shibuya. LF Jonathan Rodriguez opened the inning with a walk, followed quickly by a double to left-center from All-Star 2B Bruce Caldwell. With both runners in scoring position, RF Anthony Garcia rifled an RBI single to center field that brought in Rodriguez and led to a fielding error on CF Andrew Toles, subsequently allowing Caldwell to score on the play as well and lifting the Cardinals ahead, 2-1.
Sulbaran kept the one-run lead intact through two perfect innings in the second and third, before Springfield added to the advantage in the bottom of the third. Leading off the inning, Rodriguez slugged a solo shot to right-center, his fourth homer in just his 14th game with Springfield, swinging the Cardinals into the 3-1 lead.
Sulbaran kept rolling through a 1-2-3 fourth and retired the first two outs to start the fifth, sitting down 12 Drillers in a row. However, with two down in the fifth, SS Jordan Tarsovich and Shibuya worked consecutive walks to keep the inning alive. Toles then brought in both runners with a two-run double, squaring the score at 3-3.
The Drillers tilted the lead in their favor in the top of the seventh. 1B Cody Bellinger led off with a double, followed right away by an RBI double from C Tyler Ogle. With Ogle on at second and no outs, RHP John Brebbia took over on the mound and promptly dealt back-to-back strikeouts. Toles stepped in with two away and lined a single to center field, resulting in Ogle trying to score from second. However, All-Star CF Harrison Bader, who entered as a defensive sub when Brebbia came in, fired a strike to the plate, throwing out Ogle and ending the inning with Tulsa only ahead by one run, 4-3.
The Cardinals then came right back with a two-run rally against RHP Ralston Cash in the bottom of the seventh. With two away, Caldwell kept the inning alive with a single ripped through the right side. Garcia then torched an RBI double off the left-field fence, bringing in Caldwell from first base to tie the game, 4-4.
Tulsa, however, did not let the tie remain intact for long, reclaiming the lead in the top of the eighth. 3B Brandon Trinkwon led off with a double, before motoring home one out later on an RBI double by Verdugo to lift the Drillers ahead, 5-4.
But then it was the Cardinals turn to rally, with Springfield striking for three runs in the bottom of the eighth. RHP Caleb Dirks (L, 2-2) took over on the mound and promptly started the inning with a strikeout. C Michael Ohlman, though, ripped a one-out single through the left side, getting the potential tying run aboard. One out later, pinch-hitting All-Star C Carson Kelly reached on a fielding error charged to Dirks, with Kelly just able to beat Dirks's throw to first base. After the miscue extended the stanza with two on, Dirks gave way to RHP Scott Griggs. Griggs, however, started his outing with a walk to Bader, loading the bases for Rodriguez. Rodriguez forced in the game-tying run with an RBI walk, followed by two more RBI walks from Caldwell and Garcia, with the four straight free passes not only erasing the deficit but opening the 7-5 lead for Springfield.
RHP Josh Lucas took over for the Cardinals to start the top of the ninth, but the Drillers refused to make it easy. After Lucas opened the inning with a strikeout, pinch-hitting C Paul Hoenecke doubled himself on. 1B Lars Anderson then brought in Hoenecke with a broken-bat single to shallow left, pulling the Drillers within one run. Lucas battled back with a strikeout of Toles, before RHP Kevin Herget (S, 3) entered to face Trinkwon. With the potential tying run at first and two away, Herget won the battle with a groundout to short from Trinkwon, closing the hard-fought 7-6 win for Springfield. RHP John Brebbia (W, 2-1) dealt the seventh and eighth out of the bullpen to register the win for the Cardinals.
