The Springfield Cardinals completed the sweep of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals with an 8-4 win before 3,139 fans at Hammons Field on Wednesday night. With the win, the Cardinals extend their season-long winning streak to seven straight games and open their lead for 1st place in the North Division Second Half Standings to 2.0 games.
Cardinals RHP Chris Ellis and Naturals LHP Emilio Ogando alternated a pair of scoreless innings apiece, before the Naturals (11-15, 50-46) cracked the scoreless tie in the top of the third. With one away, CF Donnie Dewees sent a solo shot over the right field fence, opening the 1-0 lead for the Naturals.
The Naturals stretched the lead with three runs in the top of the fourth. With one down, SS Humberto Arteaga and LF Alfredo Escalera tallied consecutive singles. 1B Allan de San Miguel brought both runners home with a two-run double, before moving to third when 3B Carlos Diaz struck out on a wild pitch that allowed him to reach first base as well. 2B Nicky Lopez then bounced into an RBI fielder’s choice that brought in de San Miguel from third, stretching the lead to 4-0.
Ellis got back on track with a scoreless top of the fifth, before the Cardinals (17-9, 52-44) raced all the way back with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. With one away, 3B Jacob Wilson was hit by a pitch to start the charge. Wilson then raced in all the way from first base on an RBI double by C Gabriel Lino to right-center field, getting the Cardinals on the board. An infield single by SS Tommy Edman put two runners on, before Ogando battled back with a strikeout. With two on and two down, rehabbing St. Louis Cardinals LF Randal Grichuk launched a three-run blast to straightaway center field, tying the game with one big swing, 4-4.
After LHP Corey Littrell and RHP Tyler Bray kept (W, 5-0) it tied with scoreless relief in the sixth and seventh, the Cardinals seized the lead in the bottom of the seventh. With two away, CF Oscar Mercado got all the way to second base on a dropped catch error by RF Anderson Miller, keeping the inning alive. With Grichuk at bat, RHP Pedro Fernandez uncorked two wild pitches, incrementally advancing Mercado around from second to score the go-ahead run for the 5-4 lead.
Springfield then added three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. 1B John Nogowski led off with a single, before Fernandez induced a pop out for the frame’s first out. RHP Andrew Edwards took over on the mound, but RF Randy Arozarena ripped a base hit to left field, moving Nogowski to second. Nogowski tagged and took third on a fly out to center from 2B Bruce Caldwell, putting runners at the corners with two away. Wilson and Lino were then both hit by pitches consecutively, loading the bases with Wilson’s hit-by-pitch and forcing in a run when Lino was plunked. With the bases still full, SS Tommy Edman laced a two-run single up the middle, extending the Cardinals lead to 8-4.
RHP Landon Beck took over on the mound to start the top of the ninth and promptly slammed the door, dealing a 1-2-3 final frame to close the 8-4 win for Springfield.
