CORPUS CHRISTI - Two Springfield Cardinals clubbed the tying and go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning Sunday to shock the Hooks, 3-2, at Whataburger Field.Trailing 2-1 entering their last at-bat, Rayder Ascanio teed off (4) on an Erasmo Pinales fastball to tie the game. After two strikeouts, Justin Toerner
CORPUS CHRISTI - Two Springfield Cardinals clubbed the tying and go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning Sunday to shock the Hooks, 3-2, at Whataburger Field.
Trailing 2-1 entering their last at-bat, Rayder Ascanio teed off (4) on an Erasmo Pinales fastball to tie the game. After two strikeouts, Justin Toerner barely cleared the left field wall and Bryan De La Cruz's leap for the game-winning home run (4).
The Pinales (L, 0-1) blown save cost Ronnie Dawson his game-winning bid after he homered for the 2-1 lead just an inning prior. His 16th long ball of the year tied him with Springfield's Dylan Carlson and Northwest Arkansas' Gabriel Cancel for the Texas League lead.
The Hooks took the lead in the fourth with three consecutive singles against starter Angel Rondon, the latest of which came off the bat of Seth Beer. But some costly baserunning stranded two runners in what could have been a big inning.
Yohan Ramirez held the Cardinals scoreless over his 5.0 innings, striking out four with three walks and two hits allowed.
Willy Collado worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth but surrendered the tying run on an Alberto Triunfel single in the seventh. He was in line for the win before Pinales' blown save.
Ronnie Williams (W, 2-1) had his line salvaged, while Mitchell Osnowitz worked a scoreless ninth for his first Double-A save.
Corpus Christi eyes a series split Monday at 6:15 p.m. with Chad Donato (1-0, 2.70) squaring off with Johan Oviedo (3-4, 5.78).
