Springfield, MO – With a sellout crowd of 7,074 fans at Hammons Field, the 1st-Half North Division Champion Springfield Cardinals out-slugged the Arkansas Travelers for the 12-7 win on Saturday evening.
Cardinals 2B Mason Katz helped lead the charge, going 3-for-3 with two home runs and tying the Springfield all-time single game record with four runs scored.
After a quick 1-2-3 top of the first tossed by RHP Andrew Morales, the Cardinals (1-3, 42-32) swung in front in the bottom of the first against RHP Alex Blackford (L, 3-4). With one away, rehabbing St. Louis Cardinals C Brayan Pena sparked the rally with a perfectly-placed bunt single down the third base line. LF Jonathan Rodriguez followed with a single through the left side, putting two runners on with one down. After Pena took third on a fly out, SS Bruce Caldwell brought in both runners with a two-run double to left-center field, opening the 2-0 lead. RF Anthony Garcia extended the stanza with a two-out walk, before 3B Paul DeJong lined an RBI single to left field, scoring Caldwell to make it 3-0.
Arkansas (1-3, 33-41), however, came racing right back with four runs in the top of the second. 1B Eric Aguilera got the Travs going with a solo shot to start the inning. LF Jabari Henry then worked a walk, before 3B Angel Rosa reached with a single one out later. SS Anthony Phillips brought in Henry with an RBI fielder's choice that led to a throwing error on 2B Mason Katz, enabling everyone to be safe with Rosa reaching third and Phillips getting to second. CF Forrestt Allday struck with an RBI single to plate Rosa, followed by an RBI groundout from RF Caleb Adams to lift the Travs in front, 4-3.
The Cardinals had an immediate retort, tying the game in the bottom of the second. Leading off the inning, 2B Mason Katz unloaded a towering solo home run to left field, his second long-ball in Double-A, squaring the score at 4-4.
Starting with the final two outs in the top of the second, Morales rattled off a stretch of eight straight outs with perfect frames in the third and fourth to keep it tied.
Springfield then swung back in front with a five-run rally in the bottom of the fourth against RHP Danny Reynolds. Katz got the charge going with a leadoff single, followed by a walk from CF Nick Martini. After a fielder's choice hit into by Pena retired Martini but put runners at the corners, Rodriguez worked a walk to load the bases. With 1B Luke Voit at-bat, a wild pitch from Blackford skipped away and allowed Katz to dart home from third. Voit then completed a walk of his own, reloading the bases and leading to RHP Zach Nuding entering the game. Nuding induced a pop out from Caldwell for the second out, but then RF Anthony Garcia worked an RBI walk, forcing home Pena for the inning's second run. DeJong then struck again with a two-run double, plating Rodriguez and Voit, and moving Garcia around to third with Springfield leading, 8-4. The frame's final run scored when Nuding uncorked a wild pitch and Garcia raced home from third, increasing the advantage to 9-4.
Morales and RHP Chris Perry combined for a scoreless top of the fifth, before the Cardinals added two more in the bottom of the fifth. Katz led off with a walk, followed by a free pass from Martini. Pena then ripped a single through the right side, loading the bases for Rodriguez. Rodriguez promptly brought in Katz with an RBI sacrifice fly to deep right field, which also moved Martini to third base. Martini came racing in next when another wild pitch bounced away, stretching the Cardinals lead to 11-4.
Arkansas started chipping away in the top of the sixth against Perry. Henry opened the frame with a solo home run to left field. One out later, Rosa, Phillips and Allday worked consecutive walks, loading the bases with one down. RHP Pedro Echemendia (W, 2-0) took over on the mound and induced a fly out from Adams that did enable Rosa to tag and score. However, Echemendia then induced a groundout to second for a quick conclusion to the frame with the Cardinals leading it, 11-6.
Katz struck again in the bottom of the sixth. With two away and the bases empty, Katz hammered another solo home run to left field, his second of the day and third of the year, opening the advantage to 12-6.
The Travs responded with an unearned run in the top of the seventh. With two on and one away, C Stephen McGee chopped into a 5-4 fielder's choice that led to a throwing error on Katz, enabling Aguilera to score from second on the play and decrease the Arkansas deficit to 12-7.
Echemendia worked out of the seventh with no further damage, before LHP Justin Wright blanked Arkansas in the eighth. RHP Rowan Wick then slammed the door with a scoreless ninth, closing the 12-7 win for Springfield.
