SPRINGDALE, Ark. — The Springfield Cardinals claimed the 3-games-to-1 series win with a 6-3 victory against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals before 3,329 fans at Arvest Ballpark on Sunday afternoon.
Cardinals LHP Austin Gomber (W, 5-7) and Naturals LHP Jake Kalish (L, 0-6) battled back and forth with scoreless work until the bottom of the fourth, when the Naturals (14-23, 53-54) cracked the scoreless tie. Leading off the inning, LF Alfredo Escalera skied a solo shot over the left field fence, swinging Northwest Arkansas into the 1-0 lead.
The Cardinals (24-13, 59-48) responded right away, catapulting in front in the top of the fifth against Kalish. 3B Jacob Wilson opened the inning with a single, extending his hitting streak to seven games. One out later, Wilson moved to second on a balk, before racing home on a game-tying RBI single from C Jesse Jenner. With Jenner at first and one down, SS Tommy Edman rifled an RBI double into the left field corner, plating Jenner from first base for the 2-1 lead.
Gomber kept the one-run lead intact through the rest of his seven-inning start, allowing just the one run on three hits while striking out six.
Springfield then stretched the lead in the top of the eighth against RHP Yunior Marte. With one down, 2B Darren Seferina unloaded a towering solo home run to right field, his third homer in Double-A, making it a two-run lead. 1B John Nogowski followed the long-ball with his third single of the day, before racing around to third on a double from LF Randy Arozarena. After an intentional walk to RF Anthony Garcia, Wilson skied an RBI sacrifice fly to center field, bringing in Nogowski for the 4-1 lead.
The Naturals, though, got the two runs right back in the bottom of the eighth against RHP Tyler Bray. With one on and one down, CF Donnie Dewees lined an RBI single to right field to score RF Cody Jones. Dewees took second base on a groundout and then came home on a two-out RBI single by 1B Samir Duenez, shaving the Naturals deficit to 4-3.
The Cardinals padded the lead once again in the top of the ninth. With one down, Edman sliced his second double of the day to right-center field. He then trotted home when CF Oscar Mercado crushed a mammoth two-run home run beyond the left field fence, his ninth long-ball of the year, increasing the Cardinals lead back to three runs, 6-3.
RHP Rowan Wick (S, 4) took over for the bottom of the ninth and worked around a pair of two-out walks, dealing a game-ending strikeout to close the 6-3 win for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals continue the road trip in Tulsa on Monday at 7:05pm.
