The 1st-Half North Division Champion Springfield Cardinals guaranteed the series win with a 3-2 victory against the Tulsa Drillers before 7,891 fans at ONEOK Field on Sunday night. Winners of three in a row, the Cardinals close the Regular Season in Tulsa on Monday, before coming home for Game 1 of the North Division Championship Series at Hammons Field on Wednesday, September 7.
Cardinals RHP Corey Baker (W, 4-8) and Tulsa RHP Isaac Anderson dueled back and forth through five scoreless innings. Baker closed his start with no runs on three hits and three walks while striking out a pair. Anderson, though, countered with no runs on four hits, two walks and two strikeouts to keep it a scoreless tie.
After Anderson's outing, the Cardinals (33-36, 74-65) pounced against the Tulsa bullpen. Facing LHP Michael Johnson (L, 2-2) to start the top of the sixth, 3B Paul DeJong unloaded a solo home run to left field, his 22nd long-ball and 73rd RBI of the season, opening a 1-0 lead for Springfield.
The Cardinals powered further in front in the top of the seventh. With one away, RF Blake Drake worked a walk to reach base. CF Harrison Bader then belted his first pitch over the left field fence, swatting his 15th home run to increase the Springfield lead to 3-0.
Tulsa (31-38, 68-70), though, broke through in the bottom of the seventh after RHP Trey Nielsen had dealt a perfect sixth inning. With one on, two down and Nielsen on the mound, pinch-hitting 1B Tyler Ogle drilled a two-run home run to right field, bringing Tulsa within one run, 3-2.
Nielsen got out of the rest of the seventh with the lead intact, followed by a scoreless eighth inning from RHP Robby Rowland.
The Drillers once again refused to go easily, attempting a bottom of the ninth inning rally against RHP Kevin Herget (S, 10). With two away and the bases empty, SS Tim Locastro battled out a walk to keep the game alive. CF Alex Verdugo then ripped a ground ball through the right side of the infield that skipped right past Locastro. Though the ball rolled into right field, Locastro was called out on runner's interference by the umpires, serving as the final out of the game with the Cardinals hanging on for the 3-2 win.
