SPRINGFIELD — RHP Zac Gallen faced just one batter more than the minimum through 7.0 one-hit innings, leading the Springfield Cardinals to the 6-0 shutout win against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals before the sellout crowd of 8,989 fans at Hammons Field on Sunday evening.
In his first start back from AAA-Memphis, Gallen (W, 2-2) was nearly perfect, allowing just one base hit and facing only 22 batters through his 7.0 shutout innings. After retiring his first seven in a rown, Gallen worked around a single and a fielder’s choice in the third inning. He then proceeded to sit down the next 13 batters in a row throughout the rest of his outing.
Naturals RHP Corey Ray matched Gallen with scoreless work through his first four innings, but the Cardinals broke through in the bottom of the fifth. LF Randy Arozarena worked a walk to start the stanza, quickly then stealing second base. One out later, 2B Darren Seferina lined an RBI single to right field, plating Arozarena for the 1-0 lead.
Gallen dealt another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth, before the Cardinals blew the game open with a powerful bottom of the sixth. With two away, 1B John Nogowski extended the stanza with a single. RF Anthony Garcia launched his first pitch off the Manual Scoreboard beyond the left field fence for a two-run home run, his team-leading 14th long-ball, opening the lead to 3-0. Arozarena further continued the frame with a double into the left field corner, quickly followed by a two-run shot from DH Gabriel Lino for his third home run of the season. The very next batter, Seferina, followed suit, smoking a solo blast over the right field fence, capping the rally and making it a 6-0 lead for the Cardinals.
Gallen capped his performance with a perfect seventh inning, ending his evening with back-to-back strikeouts. RHP Pedro Echemendia then took over and closed the 6-0 shutout win for Springfield with scoreless work in the eighth and ninth.
