Cardinals top Naturals on Mother's Day, 7-4

Springfield, MO - The Springfield Cardinals tied a team record with 11 walks as they topped the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, 7-4, before 4,174 fans at Hammons Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Cardinals (18-16) jumped in front against LHP Noel Arguelles (L, 1-6) in the bottom of the first inning. After three straight walks loaded the bases to start the frame, DH Chris Swauger drove an RBI sacrifice fly to left field, making it 1-0.

Springfield swung away with three more runs in the bottom of the second. RF Adam Melker, 3B Luis Mateo and LF Mike O'Neill each singled to load the bases with no outs again, before SS Jake Lemmerman worked an RBI free pass. CF Tommy Pham followed with a two-run single, and 1B Xavier Scruggs tacked on an RBI sacrifice fly one out later, stretching it to 5-0.

The Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs to start the bottom of the third as well. With three on, O'Neill swatted a sacrifice fly to center field to lift the Cardinals to the 6-0 advantage.

After LHP Anthony Ferrara (W, 3-3) blanked the Naturals (13-21) through his first three innings, Northwest Arkansas chipped away in the fourth. With two down and no one on, 1B Matt Fields extended the inning with a double. He then raced around on an RBI single by C Manny Pina. LF Roman Hernandez followed with a two-run home run, slicing the Cardinals lead in half, 6-3.

The Cardinals responded right away in the bottom of the fourth. Base hits from Scruggs and 2B Starlin Rodriguez put runners at the corners with only one out. C Cody Stanley, making his Springfield debut, skied an RBI sacrifice fly to right field, plating Scruggs to make it 7-3.

The Naturals scored a run in the top of the eighth, but RHP Keith Butler (S, 5) navigated through the final two frames keeping Northwest Arkansas at bay to close the 7-4 win for Springfield.

Click here for the complete box score from Sunday's game.

The Cardinals hit the road to begin an eight-game road trip in Tulsa on Monday at 7:05pm. Catch all the action on JOCK 98.7 FM and SpringfieldCardinals.com, and tune in 15 minutes early for the Coyote's Sports Cafe Pregame Show.

Springfield returns home to begin an eight-game homestand on Wed., May 22 with a 7:05pm First Pitch against the Frisco RoughRiders. The homestand will feature the St. Louis Cardinals 2006 World Series Championship Replica Ring Giveaway (2,500 fans) on Thurs., May 23, AM Pyrotechnics Friday Night Fireworks featuring Country Music on Fri., May 24, the Yadier Molina Gold and Platinum Glove Award Giveaway (2,500 fans) on Sat., May 25 and much more! Click below to view the full rundown of promotions at Hammons Field.

For information about becoming a Season Ticket Holder, organizing a Group Outing, booking a Cake Pop Company Birthday Party or ordering Individual Game Tickets right now, call the Front Office at (417) 863-2143 or visit SpringfieldCardinals.com.

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