Frisco, TX – RHP Alex Reyes one-hit the Frisco RoughRiders through his six scoreless innings to help lead the Springfield Cardinals to the 7-2 win before 8,973 fans at Dr Pepper Ballpark on Friday night. With the victory, the Cardinals hold a one game lead over Arkansas and Tulsa for 1st place in the North Division Second Half Standings with 22 games left.
Reyes (W, 1-1) was dominant from the start, striking out the side in the first and third innings. The 20-year-old finished with a team season-high 10 strikeouts while allowing just one hit and one walk through six scoreless frames, retiring 17 of the 19 batters he faced.
Meanwhile, CF Charlie Tilson and 1B Jonathan Rodriguez both went 4-for-5 to help pace the offense. DH Mike O’Neill tied former Springfield Cardinals 1B Xavier Scruggs for the all-time lead with the 150th walk in his Springfield career.
Frisco LHP Frank Lopez (L, 3-6) matched Reyes through his first three scoreless innings, but the Cardinals (25-23, 55-63) broke through in the top of the fourth. RF Anthony Garcia and 1B Jonathan Rodriguez ripped a pair of singles to start the charge. With runners at the corners, C Michael Ohlman drove an RBI single to right field, plating Garcia from third base. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, SS Aledmys Diaz brought both home with a two-run double to left-center field, opening a 3-0 lead for the Cardinals.
Springfield stretched the lead in the top of the fifth. CF Charlie Tilson started the stanza with an infield single, part of his four-hit day, that led to a throwing error on 3B Ryan Cordell, enabling Tilson to get to second. Two outs later, Rodriguez came through with an RBI single through the middle to score Tilson and make it a 4-0 advantage for Springfield.
Reyes continued to stifle the RoughRiders (21-26, 50-67) through the remainder of his six innings, before giving way to RHP Robby Rowland for the seventh. Rowland, making his Springfield debut, picked up right where Reyes left off, dealing a pair of perfect innings in the seventh and eighth.
The Cardinals then added three more insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Garcia got on with his second single, followed by Rodriguez’s fourth base hit of the night to put two runners on with one down. One out later, LF Nick Martini launched a three-run home run to right field, swinging Springfield into the 7-0 lead.
With the RoughRiders scoreless and with only one hit, LHP Ryan Sherriff took over to start the bottom of the ninth inning. Frisco, though, refused to go down without a fight and started the stanza with a C Kellin Deglan walk. SS Luis Marte then swung the RoughRiders onto the board with a two-run homer. After a walk drawn by RF Preston Beck, RHP Ronnie Shaban entered on the mound. Shaban promptly slammed the door with three straight outs, closing the decisive 7-2 victory for Springfield.
