SPRINGFIELD — The 1st-Half North Division Champion Springfield Cardinals rallied with five runs in the bottom of the seventh, racing in front for the eventual 6-3 win against the Midland RockHounds before the sell-out crowd of 6,775 fans at Hammons Field on Sunday evening.
After Cardinals RHP Daniel Poncedeleon and RockHounds LHP Brandon Mann alternated a pair of scoreless innings to start, Midland (34-16, 67-53) broke through in the top of the third. With one down, a SS Franklin Barreto single and a C Andy Paz walk put two runners on. A wild pitch advanced both runners ninety feet, before both then came home on a two-run single by RF Tyler Marincov. Marincov moved to third on a wild pitch, before Poncedeleon battled back with a strikeout. However, 1B Viosergy Rosa sliced a two-out RBI single through the middle, plating Marincov to make it 3-0.
Mann continued to cruise with scoreless work in the third and fourth, before the Cardinals (24-25, 65-54) powered their way onto the board in the fifth. Leading off the inning, 1B Luke Voit clobbered a solo home run to left field, his 18th long-ball and 63rd RBI of the year, swinging Springfield within two runs, 3-1.
Poncedeleon followed with a 1-2-3 top of the sixth inning, wrapping up his outing with 10 straight outs. He finished with just the three runs on four hits while striking out seven through his six innings of work.
RHP Ronnie Shaban (W, 7-3) picked up right where Poncedeleon left off with a perfect top of the seventh, before the Cardinals edged closer in the bottom of the inning. Leading off the seventh against Mann, 3B Paul DeJong drilled his 20th home run of the year, a solo shot to right field to chip the Cardinals deficit to just one run, 3-2. 1B Jonathan Rodriguez followed the blast with a sharp single to left field, chasing Mann from the mound. With RHP Lou Trivino (L, 1-1) taking over, Voit ripped a single to left field, putting two on with no outs. C Luis Cruz advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, before RF Blake Drake was intentionally walked to load the bases. With three on and one down, 2B Allen Staton laced a two-run single to right-center field, scoring Rodriguez and Voit to propel the Cardinals into the 4-3 lead. With runners at second and third after the throw home, LF Jhohan Acevedo chopped an RBI fielder's choice that scored Drake and led to a throwing error on SS Franklin Barreto, bringing in Staton as well for the 6-3 advantage.
Shaban started the eighth and retired two while working around a pair of singles, giving way to LHP Chandler Hawkins with two on and two down. Hawkins lost 1B Viosergy Rosa to a walk, loading the bases with two outs for 3B Yairo Munoz. RHP Josh Lucas (S, 14) took over and struck out Munoz, getting the Cards out of the bases loaded jam unscathed.
Lucas then slammed the door with a 1-2-3 final frame, closing the 6-3 comeback win for the Cardinals.
