Cards Walk Past Travs in 16
Published on June 8, 2013 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release
Springfield, Mo.-- In a game that started on Friday night and ended Saturday morning, the Springfield Cardinals outlasted the Arkansas Travelers in 16 innings, 7-6. Ruben Gotay hit a game-tying two-run home run in the 10th inning and then ended the game by driving in the winning run with a bases loaded walk in the 16th inning. Arkansas finished the series by winning three of four against Springfield. The Travs remain in first place by one game in the North Division.
Both sides went without scoring in the first inning, but Arkansas struck for a pair of runs against Springfield LH Anthony Ferrara in the second to take an early lead. Randal Grichuk hit an infield single to shortstop to open the inning. Taylor Lindsey followed with a walk before Kaleb Cowart also reached on an infield hit. After Ferrara struck out Travis Witherspoon for the first out, but Drew Heid slapped a singled past third that scored Grichuk and Lindsey.
Arkansas LH Michael Roth started his fifth game for the Travs this season. Roth pitched two scoreless frames to open his start by getting a couple of ground ball double plays. However, in the third Roth found trouble after he hit Luis Mateo with a pitch to start the frame. Mateo stole second and then a pair of wild pitches brought him home to pull the Cards within one.
Roth struck out Audry Perez for the first out of the third, but allowed back-to-back singles to Nick Longmire and Mike O'Neill. James Ramsey advanced both runners a base when he grounded out to C.J. Cron at first for the second out. That brought Ruben Gotay to the plate, and Gotay made up for hitting into a double play in the first inning by doubling home both runners in the third. The hit gave Springfield the lead, 3-2.
Roth continued laboring in the frame and allowed another double to Xavier Scruggs that pushed Springfield's advantage to 4-2. The Greer, SC native got through the inning, but not before he hit his second batter of the inning when he plunked Jake Lemmerman. Springfield marched nine to the plate in the inning, and scored the four runs on three hits.
Ferrara opened the fifth inning showing signs of settling in. The lefty had retired nine of the last eleven Travs he faced, but was greeted at the start of inning with a double by Carlos Ramirez. From there, the Travs made a couple of situational outs to score Ramirez. Rolando Gomez hit a fly ball to center and Jimmy Swift grounded out to third on a chopper behind the bag to bring in Ramirez. The run made the score 4-3 Springfield.
Springfield threatened to add to their lead in the fifth inning after the designated hitter Mike O'Neill singled to lead off. Ramsey sacrifice bunted O'Neill to second with one out, but Roth pitched out of the jam by striking out two of the next three hitters to give him a season-high seven strike outs in the game.
Both teams called on their bullpens in the sixth inning. Ferrara left after allowing three runs on four hits in five innings, while Roth also tossed five innings. The Travs lefty allowed all four of his runs in the bottom of the third inning.
In the sixth against Jonathan Cornelius, the Travs put two runners into scoring position. Randal Grichuk started the inning with his second infield single of the game and two batters later Kaleb Cowart walked. With two outs both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch, but Cornelius avoided any damage by striking out Drew Heid to end the inning.
In the seventh the Travs were again kept from scoring. Cornelius and Heath Wyatt protected Springfield's 5-4 lead by combining to strike out the Travs in order.
Meanwhile, the Travs bullpen was matching Springfield with goose eggs on the scoreboard. Ryan Chaffee and Michael Cisco combined to pitch two scoreless innings, and struck out four in the process.
Arkansas finally tied the game on only one hit in the eighth inning. Cron started the inning with a single against Wyatt. After Grichuk was retired on a popped up bunt, Cards Manager Mike Shildt called on Lee Stoppelman. Stoppelman struck out Taylor Lindsey, but then walked three straight. The final walk of the three was issued to Heid, and scored Cron to tie the game at four. Stoppelman kept the game tied by forcing Ramirez to pop up to second base to end the inning.
Springfield came right back in the bottom half of the inning while face Travs RH Elvin Ramirez. Ruben Gotay walked to start the inning, and then tried scoring on a two-out double by Adam Melker. Gotay collided with Travs Catcher Carlos Ramirez on a play at the plate. Ramirez caught Cowart's throw from third and tug out Gotay to end the inning all while absorbing the contact from the collision.
Both sides went down without scoring in the ninth to send the game to extra innings. Kevin Johnson pitched the ninth inning for Arkansas. The inning ended with Johnson striking out Nick Longmire as Carlos Ramirez caught Luis Mateo trying to steal second base.
In the tenth, Arkansas rallied with three straight one-out singles against Springfield's Justin Wright. Randal Grichuk and Taylor Lindsey started things before Travis Witherspoon dropped a bloop single into center that scored Grichuk. On the play, James Ramsey made a throwing error from center to allow Lindsey to move into third. The Travs took advantage of the miscue one batter later when Heid laid a squeeze bunt down that scored Lindsey. The RBI for Heid put the Travs ahead 6-4.
In the bottom of the tenth, Arkansas called on Josh Judy to save his third game of the series. Judy opened the inning by allowing Mike O'Neill to single to left, but then recovered James Ramsey on a foul pop to third. That brought Ruben Gotay to the plate, and Gotay hammered a game-tying home run over the wall in right.
With the game all knotted up at six, Judy retired the next two that he faced to move the game into the 11th.
Both sides went without scoring in the 11th. Caleb Graham put down the Cards in order in the frame to keep the game tied at six.
Graham returned to start the 12th, but walked the first two batters he faced. That ended Graham's night as Tim Bogar called on Buddy Boshers to be the Travs eighth pitcher of the game.
Boshers entered and struck out Ramsey and Gotay for the first two outs, and ended the inning by forcing Scruggs to pop up to Cron at first.
After the Travs were kept from scoring in the 13th, Boshers pitched a scoreless inning that included two strikeouts. That pulled the Travs strikeout total to 19 in the game after 13 innings.
In the 14th, Taylor Lindsey doubled with two outs off of Jose Almarante. Lindsey advanced to third on a wild pitch, but Almarante ended the inning by forcing Cowart to ground out to first.
Nick Maronde entered in the bottom of the 14th and struck out two to send the game to the 15th inning.
Arkansas went in order in the 15th inning. In the bottom of the 15th, Maronde stranded the winning run at 3rd to keep the game tied. Maronde allowed a lead off walk to start the inning, but retired three straight after that.
The 16th inning is where this game would end. Arkansas went down in order against Almarante, and in the bottom of the inning the Cards loaded the bases with two outs against Maronde. Maronde fired thirty pitches in the 16th before issuing a game-ending walk that scored Audry Perez to give the Cards a 7-6 victory.
The nine Arkansas pitchers combined to strike out 22 batters in the 16-inning marathon.
Randal Grichuk, Taylor Lindsey, and Kaleb Cowart each had two hits for the Travs.
Ruben Gotay drove in five of the seven Springfield runs.
Arkansas begins a four-game series in Springdale, AR later today against the Naturals. The opener is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.. Arkansas sends RH Manny Correa to the mound in the opener. Coverage of the game begins at 6:35 with the Travs Dugout Show on Sports Animal 920.
Texas League Stories from June 8, 2013
- Gustafson, Drillers Top Cardinals - Tulsa Drillers
- Hooks Shutdown Missions 5-1 in Series Opener - San Antonio Missions
- Fields, Naturals Down Travs in Opener - Arkansas Travelers
- Fields Powers Naturals to Victory - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Hounds Shutout in Corpus Christi - Midland RockHounds
- Cardinals Walk off in 16th, 7-6, Before 6,994 Fans - Springfield Cardinals
- Cards Walk Past Travs in 16 - Arkansas Travelers
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