The Arkansas Travelers avoided being swept by the Springfield Cardinals with an 8-7 comeback win before 6,082 fans at Hammons Field on Monday afternoon.
The Cardinals (12-10) struck first in the bottom of the second against RHP Dylan Unsworth. With one away, LF Anthony Garcia rifled a single to left field, before trotting home on a two-run home run from SS Alex Mejia over the left field fence, lifting the Cardinals into the 2-0 lead.
The Travelers (10-13) countered right away with a long-ball of their own in the top of the third against RHP Sandy Alcantara. With one down, LF Chuck Taylor singled himself on before swiping second base. One out later, 1B Ryan Casteel extended the inning with a two-out walk, followed by a three-run home run from C Marcus Littlewood to propel the Travs in front, 3-2.
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The Cardinals jumped right back in front in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two away, Mejia kept the frame alive with a double to left field. 2B Dickie Joe Thon then lasered an RBI single to center field, bringing in Mejia from second base and tying the game. CF Oscar Mercado followed with a free pass, before RF Nick Martini lined an RBI single to right-center field, plating Thon for the 4-3 lead.
Alcantara kept the one-run lead intact with scoreless work in the fifth and sixth, wrapping up his start with just the three runs on six hits while striking out six through six innings.
Springfield’s bats then padded the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Mejia started the stanza with his third hit of the game, a leadoff single. One out later, Mejia came racing home from first base on an RBI triple by Mercado, his third hit of the game. Martini followed with an RBI double inside the right field line, scoring Mercado to make it 6-3.
Arkansas, however, responded against the Cardinals bullpen in the top of the seventh. With RHP Daniel Bard on the mound, the Travelers started the inning with three straight walks, loading the bases with no outs. RHP Blake McKnight (L, 1-3) took over and struck out Casteel, but Littlewood hooked a two-run double to right field, bringing Arkansas within one run. DH Chantz Mack then reloaded the bases with a walk, followed by an RBI walk from SS Joey Wong to tie the game, 6-6. 3B Jay Baum and 2B Nelson Ward then provided back-to-back RBI singles, catapulting the Travelers into the 8-6 lead.
Springfield had a quick retort, striking in the bottom of the seventh. Facing RHP Blake Perry (W, 1-1) with one away, 1B Casey Grayson worked a walk and quickly moved to second on a base hit by LF Anthony Garcia. RHP Peter Tago took over on the mound, but Mejia laced an RBI single to center field, bringing in Grayson with his fourth hit of the day to bring the Cards within one run, 8-7.
Arkansas RHP Peter Tago navigated the Travelers out of the seventh with no further damage, before starting the eighth with a strikeout and a groundout around a walk. LHP Zac Curtis (S, 3) came on for the final out in the eighth and followed it with a scoreless ninth, closing the 8-7 win for Arkansas.
