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Cards Split Double-Header Saturday

The Springfield Cardinals and Arkansas Travelers split a double-header on Saturday night, as the Travs rallied to win game one in their final at-bat, winning by a score of 5-4. Springfield's offense exploded in game two, as the Cards picked up a 7-1 win at Ray Winder Field.

In game one, Nick Stavinoha's three-run homer gave Springfield a 4-3 advantage in the sixth inning against Arkansas starter Jose Arredondo.

The Travs rallied for a run without the aid of a hit in the bottom of the sixth against Cards' reliever Cory Doyne, tying the game at 4-4, when Bobby Wilson's RBI groundout scored Terry Evans.

Arkansas scored another run without the aid of a hit in the last of the seventh, as Doyne (1-4) fired a two-out wild pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Travs' second baseman Eric Rodland from third with the winning run.

Travs' reliever Rich Thompson (3-4) worked 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win.

Cards' starter Eric Haberer went five innings in the no-decision, giving up three runs on five hits.

The Cards struck early in game two against Travs' starter Rafael Rodriguez. The Arkansas right-hander issued walks to the first three hitters he faced, loading the bases for Cards' right fielder Nick Stavinoha. The first pitch to Stavinoha was lined down the left field line for a grand slam, making it a 4-0 game just four batters in. The home run for Stavinoha was his second of the night, eighth of the year, and gave him seven RBIs in the double-header.

Cards' starter Chris Lambert was solid, allowing just one hit over the first three innings. Travs' outfielder and former Cardinal Terry Evans took Lambert over the fence in center field in the fourth, his 32nd homer of the year, tying him with Durham's Kevin Witt for tops in all of Minor League Baseball. Evans' third home run of the series and second of the double-header made it a 4-1 game.

Rafael Rodriguez got out of a jam in the fifth, as the Cards loaded the bases with no outs. Rodriguez struck out Travis Hanson for the first out of the inning, then got Cody Haerther to ground into a 4-6-3 double-play, keeping the score 4-1. Rodriguez (5-7) went a total of five innings, surrendering four runs on five hits.

Daniel Davidson came out of the Travs' bullpen in the sixth and got into a similar situation, loading the bases with no outs. Davidson wasn't as fortunate, as Reid Gorecki's RBI single made it a 5-1 game. Larry Bigbie followed with a sac fly, putting Springfield in front 6-1.

Springfield rounded out the scoring in the seventh, scoring a run against Travs' reliever Kyle Edens. Nick Stavinoha, who reached on the third Arkansas error of the night, scored on a wild pitch from Edens, capping the scoring at 7-1. Mark Worrell worked a scoreless seventh for Springfield.

Lambert (10-9) got the win for Springfield, tying his Double-A career-high with nine strikeouts. The right-hander allowed just one run on four hits over six innings.

The Cardinals take a day off on Sunday, then continue their seven-game road trip with a three-game set in Midland. The Redbirds will throw Blake Hawksworth (2-2), while the RockHounds will send Michael Rogers to the mound. Game time from Midland on Monday will be 6:30pm.

The Cards return to Hammons Field on Thursday, August 10th, as they open a seven-game home stand against Frisco and Midland. Thursday, August 10th is G.L. Moore Tire Giveaway Night as nine sets of tires and 5,000 discount coupons will be given away thanks to G.L. Moore Tire. Don't forget that on Monday, August 14th, 2,500 fans will receive a free Bob Gibson Bobblehead Doll thanks to Cingular! Tickets are available for the upcoming home stand by calling (417) 863-2143 or online at www.springfieldcardinals.com.

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The Arkansas Travelers (20-23, 44-68) and Springfield Cardinals (19-24, 58-53) split a double-header on Saturday night, as the Travs rallied to take game one in their final at-bat, winning by a score of 5-4. Springfield's offense got out of the gate fast in the second game, as the Cards picked up a 7-1 win at Ray Winder Field. Travs' center-fielder Terry Evans homered twice on the night, and scored four runs in the double-header. Rich Thompson (3-4) pitched scoreless relief in game one to earn the win, while Travs' starter Rafael Rodriguez (5-7) settled down after a rocky start, but suffered the loss in game two. The Travs are now 3 1/2 games behind Wichita in the North Division. After an off-day on Sunday, the Travs host the Frisco RoughRiders on Monday night at Ray Winder Field. Game time is 7:10pm.

In game one, Nick Stavinoha's three-run homer gave Springfield a 4-3 advantage in the sixth inning against Arkansas starter Jose Arredondo.

The Travs rallied for a run without the aid of a hit in the bottom of the sixth against Cards' reliever Cory Doyne, tying the game at 4-4, when Bobby Wilson's RBI groundout scored Terry Evans.

Arkansas scored another run without the aid of a hit in the last of the seventh, as Doyne (1-4) fired a two-out wild pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Travs' second baseman Eric Rodland from third with the winning run.

Travs' reliever Rich Thompson (3-4) worked 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win.

The Cards struck early in game two against Travs' starter Rafael Rodriguez. The Arkansas right-hander issued walks to the first three hitters he faced, loading the bases for Cards' right fielder Nick Stavinoha. The first pitch to Stavinoha was lined down the left field line for a grand slam, making it a 4-0 game just four batters in. The home run for Stavinoha was his second of the night, eighth of the year, and gave him seven RBIs in the double-header.

Cards' starter Chris Lambert was solid, allowing just one hit over the first three innings. Travs' outfielder Terry Evans took Lambert over the fence in center field in the fourth, his 32nd homer of the year, tying him with Durham's Kevin Witt for tops in all of Minor League Baseball. Evans' third home run of the series and second of the double-header made it a 4-1 game.

Rafael Rodriguez got out of a jam in the fifth, as the Cards loaded the bases with no outs. Rodriguez struck out Travis Hanson for the first out of the inning, then got Cody Haerther to ground into a 4-6-3 double-play, keeping the score 4-1. Rodriguez (5-7) went a total of five innings, surrendering four runs on five hits.

Daniel Davidson came out of the Travs' bullpen in the sixth and got into a similar situation, loading the bases with no outs. Davidson wasn't as fortunate, as Reid Gorecki's RBI single made it a 5-1 game. Larry Bigbie followed with a sac fly, putting Springfield in front 6-1.

Springfield rounded out the scoring in the seventh, scoring a run against Travs' reliever Kyle Edens. Nick Stavinoha, who reached on the third Arkansas error of the night, scored on a wild pitch from Edens, capping the scoring at 7-1. Mark Worrell worked a scoreless seventh for Springfield.

Lambert (10-9) got the win for Springfield, tying his Double-A career-high with nine strikeouts. The right-hander allowed just one run on four hits over six innings.

The Travs continue their home stand on Monday night, opening up a three-game series against the Frisco RoughRiders. Game time on Monday is 7:10pm and gates open at 6:10pm. For tickets or more information, call (501) 664-1555 or visit www.travs.com. We hope to see you Monday night at Ray Winder Field!

truebluefan

The Wichita Wranglers made it three straight wins over the Tulsa Drillers Sunday night with an 11-5 victory in the finale of a five-game series at Drillers Stadium. After winning the first two games of the set, the Drillers dropped the final three games to fall 4.5 games behind the first-place Wranglers in the North Division standings.

In their victory Sunday, the Wranglers collected 15 hits off three different Tulsa pitchers. They scored eight of their runs over the final four innings.

Third baseman Alex Gordon finished 2-5, including his 21st home run of the season, and shortstop Angel Sanchez added three hits. Dee Brown hit a grand slam homer in the 5-run eighth.

The Drillers were held to only seven hits by four different Wichita hurlers. Ian Stewart extended his hitting streak to 18 games with an eighth inning double. Troy Tulowitzki was activated from the disabled list before the game and collected three of Tulsa's seven hits.

Jon Asahina suffered the loss for the Drillers to fall to 0-2. He allowed 10 hits and 6 runs in 6.1 innings of work. Alberto Arias gave up 4 runs in 1.1 innings, and Jim Miller surrendered 1 run in 1.1 innings.

Wichita starter Junior Herndon gained the win to improve to 9-5. He permitted only 4 hits and 2 runs (1 ER) in 7 innings.

The Drillers will continue their homestand Monday night when they begin a three-game series against the Corpus Christi Hooks. Juan Morillo (8-7, 4.84 ERA) will take the mound for Tulsa and will work against former Houston Astros hurler Carlos Hernandez (0-0, 0.00 ERA). First pitch on Monday is set for 7:05PM.

NOTES: Pitcher Jason Burch was placed on the Tulsa disabled list to make room for Tulowitzki on the roster. . . .Stewart's 18-game hitting streak is tied for the second-longest in the Texas League this season. Corpus Christi's J.R. House and Midland's Jed Morris both hit in 18 straight games earlier this year. The Hooks Jorge Cortez owns the longest streak at 27 games.

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(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) - The Hooks rallied late to spark a 4-3 victory in 11 innings over the Missions Sunday evening at Whataburger Field. With the win, the Hooks (23-20, 64-48) now trail San Antonio (24-19, 51-60) by one game in the Texas League South.

After trailing 3-2 in the eighth inning, the Hooks tied the game. Jorge Cortes led off the inning with a walk. After a strike out, Jonny Ash singled to second putting runners on first and second. Josh Bonifay then singled off the third base bag, the ball then bounced over the head of Missions' third baseman Jesus Guzman. Cortes rounded third and scored on the play to tie the score at 3-3.

After the Hooks failed to score a run in the 10th inning with bases loaded and no outs, the Missions had their chance to score a run in the 11th but came up short. With one out, Guzman singled to right field giving Mike Wilson a chance to score from second. Hunter Pence fielded the ball cleanly and fired it to the catcher Kevin Davidson who tagged Wilson while getting ran over. Reliever Aaron Williams got the next batter to ground out to get out of the inning.

Davidson led off the bottom of the inning with a single to right. Josh Anderson then bunted his way on base and advanced to second on a Tike Redman sacrifice bunt. Pence was intentionally walked to load the bases for Walter Young who singled to right scoring the winning run from third.

Chad Reineke made the longest relief appearance for the Hooks this season. Reineke worked 5.1 innings of shutout relief giving up two hits and eight strikeouts. Williams (6-5) worked an inning to pick up the win. Jason Mackintosh (4-3) suffered the loss for the Missions.

The Hooks travel to Tulsa for a three game series. LHP Carlos Hernandez (0-0, 0.00) will get the start for the Hooks as the Drillers counter with RHP Juan Morillo (8-7, 4.84). All the action of the Hooks can be heard on 103.7 KOUL.