Walton Double Pushes Travs Past Cards

Donnie Walton breaks tie with late two-run double as Travs again beat Cardinals

Donnie Walton hit the go-ahead double on Friday night in the eighth inning. (Mark Wagner)

August 31, 2018

Springfield, MO-The Arkansas Travelers closed out their season long domination of the Springfield Cardinals with a 5-3 on Friday night. Arkansas won a staggering 22 of 32 meetings from their division rivals in 2018. It was the 70th win of the season for the Travs overall and guarantees them a

Springfield, MO-The Arkansas Travelers closed out their season long domination of the Springfield Cardinals with a 5-3 on Friday night. Arkansas won a staggering 22 of 32 meetings from their division rivals in 2018. It was the 70^th win of the season for the Travs overall and guarantees them a winning record this year. The Travs never trailed in the contest but saw a three-run lead disappear before rallying with a pair of runs in the eighth for the victory. Williams Pérez settled for no decision despite another quality start of six innings with two runs allowed and retiring 11 in a row at one point. Matt Walker ended up as the winner out of the bullpen with Matt Festa notching save number 20.
Moments That Mattered
* Dario Pizzano put the Travs up by three with a two-run homer in the fifth inning. It was his 10^th long ball of the season.
* Jeremy Martinez completed the Cardinal comeback with a tying solo homer in the seventh.
* Arkansas answered immediately in the eighth. Kyle Lewis drew a one out walk and Yonathan Mendoza followed with a single. Donnie Walton then worked a full count and on the ninth pitch of the at-bat pulled a ball fair past the first base bag for a two-run double that would be the game-winning hit.
Notable Travs Performances
* LF Chuck Taylor: 3-5, run
* 2B Donnie Walton: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
* Williams Perez: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 5 K
* Matt Festa: Save, IP, 2 K
Up Next
The regular season ending road trip continues with the start of a three game series at Northwest Arkansas on Saturday night. Left-hander Anthony Misiewicz (3-11, 5.03) makes the start against righty Jon Perrin (0-2, 4.60). First pitch is set for 6:05 and the game will be broadcast on the Sports Animal 920, the First Pitch App, TuneIn radio and milb.tv.