Springfield, MO – The Springfield Cardinals and the Arkansas Travelers split Sunday’s doubleheader before 5,242 fans at Hammons Field. The Cardinals out-slugged the Travs in the first seven-inning game, 9-8, but Arkansas bounced back with a 6-1 win in the second seven-inning game.
Game 1: Cardinals 9 vs. Travelers 8, 7 innings
Both sides came out swinging in the first game of the doubleheader. After the Travelers (9-13) got one in the top of the first against RHP Daniel Poncedeleon, the Cardinals (12-10) tied it up right away in the bottom of the first. Facing RHP Jordan Kipper (L, 2-1), CF Harrison Bader led off with a base hit, before swiping his way to second base. After a strikeout, Bader tagged and took third on a fly out to right field. 1B Luke Voit then legged out an RBI infield single placed perfectly inside the third base line, bringing Bader home and evening it at 1-1.
Arkansas, though, tilted the lead back into their favor with two runs in the top of the second. 1B Alex Yarbrough led off with a walk, followed one out later by a single from SS Anthony Phillips. Poncedeleon rung up 2B Sherman Johnson for the second out, but then hit CF Chad Hinshaw to load the bases. LF Bo Way brought in two of the runners with a two-run single, swinging the Travs ahead, 3-1.
The Cardinals sliced the deficit in half right away, striking for one in the bottom of the second. Leading off the frame, 3B Paul DeJong clobbered a solo home run to right-center field, his first Double-A long-ball, making it just a 3-2 lead for Arkansas.
The Travs stretched it back to a two-run lead with two unearned runs in the top of the third. RF Cal Towey reached on a one-out walk, before nabbing second on a steal. Yarbrough then skied a fly ball to right field that RF David Washington missed the catch on, with the fielding error bringing in Towey from second and allowing Yarbrough to get to second. Poncedeleon induced a fly out from C Anthony Bemboom, but Phillips struck with a two-out RBI single to left field, bringing in Yarbrough to make it 5-2.
The Cardinals powered back even on the scoreboard with a pair of home runs in the bottom of the third. With two down, 2B Bruce Caldwell worked a walk to keep the inning alive. Voit then blasted a two-run home run, his fifth of the year and fourth of the homestand, bringing the Cards within one run. RF David Washington, the very next batter, then hammered a solo shot to left field, squaring the score at 5-5.
Arkansas did not let the tie remain intact for long, pulling in front once again in the top of the fourth against RHP Joey Donofrio (W, 1-1). With one down, LF Bo Way singled himself on, before racing home from first on an RBI double by Daniel. After a groundout and a walk, Yarbrough dunked an RBI single into shallow left field, plating Daniel for the 7-5 lead for the Travs.
The Cardinals, however, refused to let the gap stay on the scoreboard, striking in the bottom of the fourth. With one down, C Carson Kelly and SS Breyvic Valera knocked consecutive singles to put runners at first and third. Bader then laced an RBI single to right-center field, bringing in Kelly from third. LF C.J. McElroy, Jr. loaded the bases by working a walk, before Caldwell drilled an RBI sacrifice fly to deep left field, scoring Valera from third to tie it once more, 7-7.
Donofrio put together the first scoreless inning from either side by blanking the Travs in the top of the fifth, before the Cards took their first lead of the day in the bottom of the fifth. With one down, DeJong sparked the rally with a double. Facing RHP Alan Busenitz, DH Chris Jacobs tore a go-ahead RBI double into the right field corner, bringing in DeJong for the 8-7 lead.
After a scoreless top of the sixth from LHP Corey Littrell (S, 1), the Cardinals added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Leading off the frame, McElroy, Jr. belted a solo blast to left field, his first Double-A home run, making it 9-7.
Travs CF Chad Hinshaw slugged a solo home run with two down in the top of the seventh, but Littrell rebounded with a groundout for the final out to close the 9-8 win for the Cardinals.
Game 2: Travelers 6 vs. Cardinals 1, 7 innings |
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| The Travelers (10-13) got off to a powerful start to the second game, striking in the top of the first against RHP Kurt Heyer (L, 0-1). SS Sherman Johnson led off with a base knock, before LF Chad Hinshaw pulled a two-run home run to left field, providing an early 2-0 lead for Arkansas.
The Cardinals (12-11) put together a patient rally against RHP Troy Scribner (W, 1-0) in the bottom of the second to get on the board. DH Luke Voit, RF David Washington and 1B Chris Jacobs started the inning with three consecutive walks to load the bases with nobody out. LF Collin Radack then drove an RBI sacrifice fly to left field, bringing in Voit to cut it to just a 2-1 deficit. Arkansas, though, pushed it back to a two-run lead with one tally in the top of the fourth. DH Wade Wass started the stanza with a walk, followed by a single from 3B Cal Towey. After Heyer induced a double play that left a runner at third with two down, RF Brandon Bayardi chopped an RBI infield single to score Wass for the 3-1 advantage. The Travs stretched the lead further against RHP Josh Lucas in the top of the fifth. Following a leadoff single from C Stephen McGee, Johnson skied a two-run homer to right field, swinging the Travelers into the 5-1 lead. Arkansas added a final tally with an RBI double from 1B Eric Aguilera in the top of the seventh, accounting for the 6-1 final score in the Travs win. Despite allowing the one run in the second inning, Scribner did not allow a hit through his five innings. Springfield
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