TL1 Springfield Cardinals

Cardinals Edge Naturals 2-1

Published on May 2, 2012 under Texas League (TL1)
Springfield Cardinals News Release


Springfield, MO - The Cardinals pull off a 2-1 win against the NW Arkansas Naturals after a fight to the finish to take a two game lead so far in the series.

The first inning started off slow for both the Cardinals and the Naturals as no runs were brought in, which seemed to set the tone for much more of the game. Scott Gorgon showed his athleticism by preventing the Naturals from scoring in the top of the 3rd inning despite having the bases loaded with no outs. Still 0-0 in the bottom of the third as a single from Kolton Wong put Jose Garcia in scoring position. Unfortunately both base runners were left stranded, unable to score as the third inning came to a close.

The fourth inning began with a quick out off the bat of Yem Prades, setting the momentum for Gorgon and the Cards as the Naturals went down in order ending the top of the fourth inning continuing with no score for either team. Jake Schaffer was having an exceptional game being 2-for-2 as he kicked off the bottom of the fourth; making it to second base with a double. But the Cards followed in the footsteps of the Naturals going down in order following Schaffer's double as the fourth inning ended, still 0-0.

Gorgon threw 93 pitches in five innings giving up no runs and only four hits before retiring for the remainder of the game. No errors and great consistency contributed heavily to the Naturals no-score game thus far. The lead would soon be obtained by the Naturals as a lead-off solo home run by Carlo Testa put the Naturals in front, 1-0. But the Cards answered right back in the bottom of the seventh with a solo homer from Nick Derba tying the game up. On the next pitch, Greg Garcia doubled; however, no one could drive him in, leaving Garcia stranded on base as the bottom of the seventh ended.

After a scoreless inning out of relief by Sam Freeman in the eighth for Springfield, the offense looked to go up on top in the bottom half of the inning. After two walks by the Naturals' reliever Blaine Hardy to Shaffer and Rainel Rosario, Nick Derba looked to continue his hot hitting with a single to center to load the bases. After a strikeout of Greg Garcia, Jose Garcia came up to bat with two outs. Fortunately for the Cardinals, the Naturals' catcher Ryan Jenkins let a passed ball go past him to score Shaffer from third. This gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead entering the ninth.

Keith Butler added a flair for the dramatic by coming in for the save in the ninth. After a double by Carlo Testa and a walk to Paulo Orlando, Butler found himself in a tough spot. Butler then got Naturals' pinch-hitter Kurt Mertins to ground out into a double play to secure a victory for Springfield.

The Cardinals will continue their series with the Naturals Thursday night at 7:08pm. John Gast will start for Springfield against righty Tim Melville of the Naturals.

Thursday brings the return of the St Louis Cardinals Replica World Series Giveaway for 2,000 fans. This piece of history will be a hot giveaway item so get your tickets now and get to the ballpark early! And, every Thursday is Johnsonville "Buck a Brat" Night featuring $1 Johnsonville bratwurst all night long. Great tickets are still available by visiting the Hammons Field Ticket Office, online at springfieldcardinals.com or by calling (417) 863-2143.

Check out the Springfield Cardinals Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Texas League Stories from May 2, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central