The 1st-Half North Division Champion Springfield Cardinals set season highs with 16 runs on 17 hits, including eight runs in the fifth inning alone, crushing the Frisco RoughRiders, 16-4, before 4,540 fans at Hammons Field on Tuesday night.
RF Blake Drake helped lead the charge by going 3-for-5 with a grand slam, a double and a season-high six RBIs, finishing just one RBI shy of matching the Springfield single-game record of seven.
The Cardinals (22-22, 63-51) exploded out of the gates with a four-run rally in the bottom of the first against RHP Connor Sadzeck (L, 9-5). CF Nick Martini opened the inning with a single, before SS Paul DeJong was hit by a pitch. Sadzeck battled back by inducing a 4-6-3 double play ball from 2B Bruce Caldwell, leaving only Martini at third with two down. 1B Luke Voit, though, cashed in with an RBI single chopped through the left side, plating Martini for the 1-0 lead. A walk from DH Jonathan Rodriguez and an infield single by C Luis Cruz loaded the bases and further extended the inning for RF Blake Drake. Drake promptly tore a two-run single to left field, bringing in Voit and Rodriguez for the three-run lead. With runners at first and second and two away, 3B Allen Staton tacked on the fourth run with an RBI single to shallow center field, scoring Cruz from second for the 4-0 lead.
After Cardinals RHP Daniel Poncedeleon (W, 9-6) posted a scoreless top of the second, the Cardinals added more in the bottom of the second. With two away, Caldwell crushed a solo home run to left field, his ninth long-ball of the year, increasing the Cardinals lead to 5-0.
The RoughRiders (17-28, 55-59) started chipping away in the top of the third. With one on and one away, 3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa and LF Eduard Pinto worked consecutive walks to load the bases with one down. C Carson Blair delivered an RBI base hit to left field. 1B Edwin Garcia scored from third on the single, but LF Vaughn Bryan, in his Double-A debut, threw out Kiner-Falefa at the plate to minimize the damage to just one run on the single. Poncedeleon then got DH Joe Jackson swinging, closing the inning with the Cardinals leading, 5-1.
Frisco, however, kept chipping away in the top of the fourth inning. 2B Andy Ibanez and SS Luis Marte connected on consecutive singles to start the inning. RF Alexeis Bell then drove a two-run double to left-center field, scoring both runners and bringing the RoughRiders within two runs, 5-3. Garcia followed with a walk, before a sacrifice bunt from CF Carlos Arroyo advanced the runners to second and third. 3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa then grounded out to SS Paul DeJong, but brought in Bell from third base in the process, slicing the Frisco deficit to just 5-4.
The Cardinals responded in a big way, striking for their biggest inning of the year with an eight-run barrage in the bottom of the fifth. Caldwell started the inning with a line drive that hit off of Sadzeck on the mound. Caldwell reached with a single, but Sadzeck had to leave the game and gave way to RHP Richelson Pena. Voit followed with a walk, before a base hit to right field from Rodriguez to load the bases. Cruz battled out an RBI walk to score Caldwell, before Drake belted a grand slam to left field, clearing the bases and propelling the Cardinals into the 10-4 lead. Staton followed the Drake slam with a free pass, chasing Pena and leading to LHP Ryne Slack entering the game. Bryan ripped a liner to left field for his first Double-A base hit, before Martini laced an RBI single to score Staton. A base hit by DeJong loaded the bases, followed by a two-run single from Caldwell in his second at-bat of the inning, scoring Bryan and Martini to cap the eight-run explosion and make it 13-4.
RHP Kevin Herget took over for Poncedeleon in the top of the sixth and worked around an error to post a scoreless frame, before Springfield went back to work with the bats in the bottom of the sixth. Cruz opened the inning with a walk, before motoring to third on a double from Drake. Staton then sliced an RBI single up the middle, scoring Cruz and moving Drake to third base. With runners at the corners and no outs, Bryan bounced into an RBI fielder's choice that brought in Drake but retired Staton at second, increasing the lead to 15-4. A Martini single and a DeJong walk loaded the bases once again, this time with only one down for Caldwell. Caldwell picked up his fourth RBI of the game with a fielder's choice that retired DeJong at second, but brought in Bryan from third to make it 16-4.
RHP Rowan Wick entered for the top of the seventh and needed only nine pitches in a perfect relief inning. RHP Chris Perry followed suit, using only five pitches in a 1-2-3 eighth inning. RHP Josh Lucas then slammed the door with a scoreless ninth inning, closing the 16-4 blowout win for the Cardinals.
