TL1 Springfield Cardinals

Cards Home On Tuesday For Eight Straight

Published on April 28, 2008 under Texas League (TL1)
Springfield Cardinals News Release


The Springfield Cardinals earned their first sweep of the 2008 season, holding on for a 6-5 come-from-behind win over the Tulsa Drillers on Monday afternoon at Drillers Stadium in Tulsa. The win for Springfield gives them five straight and puts them atop the North Division standings by themselves for the first time this year.

Luke Gorsett's first Double-A home run was a big one, a line drive down the left-field line that gave Springfield the lead for good in the fifth inning against Tulsa starter Xavier Cedeno (3-2).

The Springfield bullpen came up big on Monday, working five scoreless innings of relief. Josh Dew capped the day for the Cards' pen by retiring the final two batters, with two men on base.

Cards' closer Luke Gregerson, who worked two innings in Sunday's win, came out of the pen early again on Monday, battling out of an eighth-inning jam. Gregerson got into his own jam in the ninth, when he walked a man and then hit a batter with only one out. Dew was called upon to finish, retiring Jeff Dragicevich on a deep line drive to left field, then getting pinch-hitter Brian Esposito to hit into a force out to end the game. The save for Dew is his first since his promotion from Palm Beach last week.

The Cards and Drillers slugged it out offensively in the first couple of innings, as neither starter fared very well. Springfield got a two-run single from Jose Martinez in the first to take a 2-0 lead on Cedeno.

Tulsa responded in the bottom of the inning with four against starter Clayton Mortensen. Dexter Fowler and Daniel Carte both had an RBI hit to tie the game at 2-2, before Dragicevich popped his third home run of the year, putting Tulsa up 4-2.

Springfield got three more in the third, as Brandon Yarbrough's RBI groundout made it a 4-3 game. Tyler Greene then lined a two-run homer over the wall in left-center field, his second of the year to give the Redbirds a 5-4 lead.

Mortensen couldn't hold the lead though, as Daniel Carte touched him for an RBI double off the wall in center field in the bottom of the inning, tying the game at 5-5.

Zack Zuercher (1-0) earned the win for the Cards with two innings of scoreless relief. Bob Zimmermann also chipped in with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

PJ Walters (1-2) goes to the mound against Northwest Arkansas right-hander Blake Johnson on Tuesday night at Hammons Field. The opening game of Springfield's eight-game home stand at Hammons Field will start at 7:10pm.

The upcoming home stand will kick off with Leukemia / Lymphoma Society Night, as we try to set a World Record! Fans will be given kazoos upon entering Hammons Field and then during the seventh inning stretch, we'll try to break the World Record for most people playing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" with kazoos. It's all in an effort to help raise awareness and money for the Leukemia / Lymphoma Society. To help LLS, purchase your tickets online at www.springfieldcardinals.com/lls and a portion of your ticket will help LLS raise money. Be sure and use the password LLS.

Also on the upcoming home stand is another AM Pyrotechnics Friday Night Fireworks, Great Southern Kids' Cardinals T-Shirt Giveaway and "Pink In the Park" Day, as we help to raise breast cancer awareness in the Ozarks. Tickets are available for all regular season home games at Hammons Field by calling the Cardinals Ticket Line at (417) 863-2143 or on the website at www.springfieldcardinals.com. To reach the Cardinals Front Office, please dial our new number at (417) 863-0395. We hope to see you at Hammons Field very soon. Go Cards and Get Your RED On!

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Texas League Stories from April 28, 2008


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