Cardinals Cling to 3-2 Win in Tulsa
August 30, 2015 - Texas League (TL1)
Springfield Cardinals News Release
Tulsa, OK - The Springfield Cardinals escaped a bottom of the ninth inning jam to hang on for the 3-2 win against the Tulsa Drillers before 8,492 fans at ONEOK Field on Saturday night.
In a match-up featuring two of the top pitching prospects in Minor League Baseball - Cardinals RHP Alex Reyes (W, 2-2) and Tulsa RHP Jose De Leon - both sides exchanged an early run. The Drillers (27-34, 57-73) struck first in the bottom of the first. With one away, RF Yadir Drake reached on a single, before motoring home on an RBI double by 1B Lars Anderson for the 1-0 Tulsa lead.
The Cardinals (28-33, 58-72) countered right away, evening it with one run in the top of the second. 2B Bruce Caldwell opened the inning with a double, before racing home one out later on an RBI double by 1B David Washington, squaring the score at 1-1.
Celebrating his 21st birthday today, Reyes kept the tie intact through the remainder of his outing, limiting the Drillers to just the one run on three hits while striking out eight batters through five innings. He struck out five in a row from the final out in the third through the first out in the fifth.
After Reyes finished the scoreless bottom of the fifth, the Cardinals struck against RHP Ralston Cash (L, 1-5) in the top of the sixth. RF Nick Martini sparked the charge with a leadoff walk, followed by another double from Caldwell. C Michael Ohlman then brought both runners home with a two-run double drilled to left-center field, swinging Springfield into the 3-1 lead.
RHP Thomas Lee picked up where Reyes left off, cruising through three scoreless relief innings to keep the Springfield lead at two runs.
However, the Drillers refused to go down quietly, attempting the comeback in the bottom of the ninth. Facing RHP Robby Rowland, CF Peter Lavin and SS Erisbel Arruebarrena knocked consecutive singles. 3B Jarek Cunningham then brought in Lavin with an RBI single to left-center, bringing Tulsa within one run. RHP Ronnie Shaban (S, 7) took over on the mound to face pinch-hitting INF Daniel Mayora, who advanced the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Shaban intentionally walked 2B Brandon Trinkwon, loading the bases for Drake. Shaban won the battle with a strikeout against Drake, before inducing a game-ending fly out from Anderson to close the 3-2 win for Springfield.
Texas League Stories from August 30, 2015
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- Moran Delivers Winner in Eighth - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Adams Helps Naturals Even Series against Travs - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Numbers Du Jour: 8,000,000 & One - Midland RockHounds
- Adams, Brinson Homer in Riders' Loss to Hounds - Frisco RoughRiders
- To Paraphrase Neil Armstrong - Midland RockHounds
- Drillers Fall to Reyes and Cardinals - Tulsa Drillers
- Cardinals Cling to 3-2 Win in Tulsa - Springfield Cardinals
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