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Gorman Walk-Off Sends Cardinals Home Winners in Suspended Game, Team Drops Game 2 to Naturals

May 21, 2021 - Texas League (TL)
Springfield Cardinals News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Springfield bats tallied 16 hits in a 15-5 loss to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Friday night at Hammons Field, just hours after Nolan Gorman hit a 3-run walk-off home run to hand the Cardinals an 8-7 win in Wednesday's suspended game completed by the two teams and also held on Friday.

In Friday's originally scheduled game, Northwest Arkansas built an 11-0 lead with a run in the first, four in the third and six in the fourth off Cardinals RHP Kyle Leahy. Leahy allowed 11 runs on 10 hits and a walk over 3.2 innings, striking out seven. The 11 earned runs tied the all-time record allowed by a Cardinals pitched, originally set by Kevin Thomas on July 4, 2011.

Springfield added runs on a 2B Nick Dunn single in the fourth, a RF Alec Burleson single in the fifth, a DH Luken Baker single in the seventh, a C Aaron Antonini single in the eighth, and a LF Nick Plummer single in the ninth.

Gorman, the No. 2 prospect in the Cardinals system, finished the night 4-for-5 with a double and three runs. His four hits were a career Double-A high and the highest total for any Springfield Cardinals batter this season. Gorman's on-base streak now stands at 13 games his hit streak has reached six games. Cardinals RF Alec Burleson had his first three-hit Double-A game, finishing 3-for-5 with a double after arriving from High-A Peoria on Monday.

Cardinals LHP Patrick Dayton allowed one run over 3.0 relief innings, striking out one on four hits and a walk.

Back-to-back home runs by Kansas City Royals No. 1 prospect SS Bobby Whit Jr. and 1B Nick Pratto put the Naturals up 15-4 in the top of the ninth.

Gorman walk-off hands Cardinals 8-7 win in suspended game against Naturals

Over 48 hours after the game began on Wednesday, Gorman drove a 3-0 pitch over the fence in left field for a 3-run walk-off home run on Friday night. His first Double-A walk-off gave the Cardinals an 8-7 win over the Naturals in a game previously suspended in the top of the seventh inning due to inclement weather with the score tied 5-5.

Trailing 7-5, Cardinals CF Justin Toerner led off the bottom of the ninth by drawing a four-pitch walk off Northwest Arkansas RHP Dylan Coleman. After back-to-back mound visits, Coleman got DH David Vinsky swinging for the first out. Next, SS Delvin Perez singled and advanced Toerner to second before Gorman stepped in and walked it off for the Cardinals for the first time in 2021.

The game was initially attempted to be re-started Thursday night, but a full day's worth of rain pushed things to Friday night in addition to forcing a postponement of Springfield's originally scheduled Thursday night game with Northwest Arkansas to a June 30 doubleheader.

The Naturals took a brief 7-5 lead in the top of the ninth on RBI singles by C MJ Melendez and 2B Clay Dungan.

Back on Wednesday, Springfield sprinted to a 5-0 lead in the first inning off a grand slam by 1B Juan Yepez and a solo home run by RF Alec Burleson. It was Burleson's first Double-A home run in just his second Double-A start and 13th total professional game.

Northwest Arkansas chipped away at that 5-0 score with a pair of unearned runs in the third off Cardinals RHP Alvaro Seijas and a third unearned run off Cardinals RHP Ramon Santos in the fourth. Seijas walked six and struck out one without allowing a hit over 3.0 innings in his third start of the season.

In a heavy rain, the Naturals tied the game 5-5 in the sixth off a two-RBI single by Melendez off Cardinals RHP Grant Black. The Cardinals would not score in the bottom half before the game was called due to weather before a pitch was thrown in the top of the seventh.

On Friday, RHP Edgar Escobar allowed two runs on two hits and a walk over 2.2 innings. RHP Jake Walsh (1-0) got the win, getting the final out of the ninth while giving up a hit and a walk.


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