Cardinals stay perfect at home after 4-run 8th inning

April 12, 2019

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Springfield Cardinals (2-7) put up double-digit runs on the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (4-5) for the second consecutive game, winning 11-7 on a chilly Friday night in front of 3,926 fans and moving to 2-0 at home.

DECISIONS:
W: RHP Seth Elledge (1-0)
L: RHP Franco Terrero (1-1)

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED:
- CF Dylan Carlson drove home the game-winning run in the eighth inning on a groundball to short that scored Scott Hurst and José Godoy, with Godoy crossing on a throwing error that put the Cardinals up 9-7.

- Godoy drew the Cardinals even at 7-7 earlier in the eighth when his infield single to Naturals pitcher Terrero ended with a throwing error that allowed Elehuris Montero to score.

- Northwest Arkansas forced Springfield's eighth-inning comeback after turning a 6-3 deficit into a 7-6 lead in the top half of that inning, tying the game on Emmanuel Rivera's RBI triple and going ahead on a Meibrys Viloria single.

NOTABLES:
- Carlson extended his hitting streak to seven games with a 2-for-5 night that included a 7th-inning triple to the wall in right. Carlson has seven extra-base hits in just nine career Double-A games.

- Montero hit his first Double-A home run with a two-run shot to left in the fourth.

- Four different Cardinals posted multi-hit nights, including Evan Mendoza (2-for-4), Brian O'Keefe (2-for-4), Elehuris Montero (2-for-5) and Jose Godoy (2-for-5).

- The Cardinals have scored 23 runs on 26 hits in the first two games of this season-opening homestand, and Cardinals pitchers have struck out 21 Naturals over the stretch.

- St. Louis Cardinals RHP Luke Gregerson pitched a scoreless fourth inning on Day 1 of his rehab assignment in Springfield, striking out two. Gregerson has now pitched 20.0 consecutive scoreless innings in a Springfield Cardinals uniform dating back to his final nine outings of the 2008 season.

COMING UP SATURDAY AT HAMMONS!
- Day baseball! The Cardinals go for three straight against the Naturals at 12:10pm with gates opening at 11:30am.