Andrew Buchbinder (Springfield Cardinals Media Relations) Springfield, MO – After 3B Jacob Wilson hit his second home run of the night to tie it in the bottom of the ninth, the Frisco RoughRiders rallied in the top of the 10th to take a 7-2 win from the Springfield Cardinals in 10 innings before 4,766 fans at Hammons Field on Friday night.
Cardinals LHP Austin Gomber and Frisco LHP Yohander Mendez dueled back and forth through the first two scoreless innings, before the RoughRiders (4-4) plated an unearned run in the top of the third. With one away, Gomber hit CF Scott Heineman and put him on at first base. 3B Andy Ibanez then lined a single to left field that LF Blake Drake fielded and threw to third base to try to retire Heineman. However, Drake’s throw hit off Heineman and skipped away, with the throwing error enabling Heineman to score on the play. Gomber dug in with consecutive strikeouts to get out of the inning with no further damage, but the RoughRiders held a 1-0 lead.
After a scoreless fourth spun by Gomber, the RoughRiders added to the lead in the top of the fifth. With one away, CF Scott Heineman skied a solo home run to left field, doubling the Riders lead to 2-0.
The Cardinals (4-4), though, answered right away with a long-ball of their own in the bottom of the fifth. Leading off the inning against Mendez, 3B Jacob Wilson hammered a solo home run off the manual scoreboard beyond the left field fence, slicing the deficit back to just one run, 2-1.
The Frisco bullpen kept the lead intact through the eighth, but Wilson struck again in the bottom of the ninth. Leading off the inning against RHP Clayton Cook (W, 1-0), Wilson blasted his second solo shot of the night, this time to left-center field, tying the game at 2-2.
The Cardinals threatened with two more runners in the ninth, but Cook stranded them to keep it tied and force extra innings.
The RoughRiders then came out swinging in the top of the 10th. Consecutive singles from SS Michael De Leon and Heineman sparked the rally. 3B Andy Ibanez then laid down a sacrifice bunt that was dropped by RHP Blake McKnight (L, 1-1), with the error enabling everyone to be safe on the play. With the bases loaded and no outs, 2B Juremi Profar bounced an RBI single over the drawn-in infield for the go-ahead run. A two-run double from DH Eric Aguilera and a two-run single by 1B Royce Bolinger padded the new Frisco lead to 7-2.
Springfield refused to go down without a fight collecting singles from RF Adolis Garcia and Wilson in the bottom of the 10th. However, Cook worked out of it, leaving both Cardinals on the bases and closing the 7-2 win for the RoughRiders in 10 innings.
