Naturals Outlast Cards in 13
Springfield sent right Trevor Rosenthal to the mound fresh off of a win last week against lefty Noel Arguelles of NW Arkansas.
The Cardinals wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as they plated three first innings runs, all with two out. Kolten Wong was hit by a pitch and stole second base with two outs. Xavier Scruggs followed with an RBI double and Jake Shaffer and Kyle Conley delivered RBI singles to grab a 3-0 lead.
In the 3rd, Kolten Wong launched a solo homer to right, his 2nd of the year, to give Springfield a four run advantage.
Trevor Rosenthal cruised through the first five innings allowing just three hits, but he ran into trouble in the 6th. After retiring the lead-off batter, Christian Colon doubled down the left line and Wil Myers singled to center to score the Naturals first run of the game. A walk and an error put runners on the corners with one out before a passed ball on catcher Nick Derba allowed Myers to score bringing the score to 4-2. After another walk, Rosenthal was lifted for Jesse Simpson who coaxed a ground ball to end the inning.
The Cardinals would add two runs in the 7th as they loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. With one out, reliever Brendan Lafferty threw a wild pitch scoring two runs as the throw from the catcher to Lafferty was offline to give Springfield a 6-2 lead.
NW Arkansas answered right back to tie the game against Eric Fornataro. After a lead-off double, Yem Prades collected an RBI infield single and moved to second on a throwing error. An RBI triple by Christian Colon and an RBI double by Wil Myers put the Naturals within a run. Johnny Whittleman hit a ground ball that Xavier Scruggs made an error on allowing the tying run to score. In all, the Naturals scored four times on five hits while the Cardinals committed three errors. Kevin Thomas finally recorded the last out of the inning to keep it 6-6.
Springfield threatened in the 9th as Kolten Wong and Jake Shaffer drew walks, but Kyle Conley struck out to end the frame. The Naturals went in order in the bottom of the inning to take the game into extra innings, a first for Springfield.
The game pressed into the 13th inning after Scott Schneider gave the Cardinals 3.1 innings of scoreless relief and Sam Freeman got out of a two on one out situation with two ground outs. In the 13th, Carlo Tesa led off with a single moved to second on a sacrifice and to third on a fly out. With two outs, Christian Colon singled up the middle on an 0-2 pitch to walk off with a 7-6 win.
Springfield tied a franchise record with five errors in the game and their losing streak has no hit a season high four games.
The Redbirds will continue their four-game series tomorrow morning at NW Arkansas at 11:00am. Springfield will sent righty Michael Blazek to the mound against major leaguer rehabber Felipe Paulino of the Naturals. The game can be heard locally on KBFL 1060AM.
The Cardinals will return home for an eight-game homestand Tuesday, May 1st against the NW Arkansas Naturals. Every Tuesday is a Great Southern Bank Dollar Dog Day featuring $1 hot dogs all game long. It's also Drury University's Red Cardinals T-Shirt Giveaway for 2,500 fans. Tickets are available by visiting the Hammons Field Ticket Office, online at springfieldcardinals.com or by calling (417) 863-2143.
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