(photo: Alex Mejia/Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
A division-winning celebration for Memphis, with Alex Mejia leading the way at the plate, highlighted the St. Louis Cardinals system’s 4-2 Sunday.
Results from games played Sunday, August 13th.
The Redbirds scored in seven of nine innings, flying past the Sounds, 12-7, to clinch the American Southern Division of the Pacific Coast League. Memphis (80-41) leads the four-game set, two games to one, with one on tap.
Alex Mejia paced the 17-hit attack, going 4-for-6 with two runs scored and three RBI out of the two hole. Patrick Wisdom and Rangel Ravelo were right behind him with three hits apiece: Wisdom doubling three times in four at bats with a walk, touched home three times and knocked in two while Ravelo went 3-for-5 with a double and solo long ball that was one of his two runs scored and two knocked in.
Redbirds pitching was not particularly impressive, as three of the four hurlers gave up at least one run. Matt Pearce (W, 3-1) yielded five tallies, four earned, on seven hits, including a solo shot through five. He struck out six.
Arturo Reyes was charged with a run on four hits in the sixth before giving way to Mike Mayers. Mayers allowed two hits and a base-on-balls in 1 2/3 but was not scored upon thanks to Josh Lucas. Lucas (S, 13) stranded two inherited runners but permitted a run on three hits over 1 1/3.
Monday’s game: at Nashville (57-63) (OAK), 7:05 pm CT, John Gant (4-5, 4.24)
Springfield 7 at Corpus Christi 5
The S-Cards rallied for a 7-5 victory over Corpus Christi (22-27) (HOU), completing a three-game sweep of the Hooks. The sweep has positioned first-place Springfield (33-17) three games up on Tulsa (LAD), which have dropped their its two contests.
With the Cards down 3-0 through four, Jesse Jenner tied the score with one swing, launching his fourth home run of 2017. It came with Jacob Wilson (single) and Tommy Edman (error) aboard and was Jenner’s only hit in four at bats.
Corpus Christi went with a new pitcher in the sixth with even worse results (for them). Singles by Anthony Garcia and Oscar Mercado were sandwiched around a hit batsman, two walks and a missed catch error, generating four scores, two earned.
Garcia and Mercado were the only S-Cards with a multi-hit performance, Garcia going 3-for-5 with a run scored and Mercado singling twice in four at bats with two RBI. He was plunked once.
Chris Ellis (W, 5-6) allowed all five of his opponents’ runs during his seven frames on the bump. One of his four hits permitted was a two-run bomb to go with three free passes issued and nine strikeouts. Ellis hit one batter. Landon Beck retired the side in order twice, fanning four, for his fifth save.
Monday’s game: Off
Palm Beach at Daytona – cancelled
The series’ finale between Palm Beach (24-24) and Daytona (11-38) was cancelled due to wet grounds. The fifth-place Beach Birds, which took the abbreviated series, two games to one, trail Fort Myers (MIN) by seven in the South Division.
Monday’s game: at Dunedin (28-22) (TOR), 6:30 pm ET, Ramon Santos (3-2, 4.08)
Peoria 2 vs. Burlington 1 (11 innings)
Evan Mendoza’s first full-season double gave the Chiefs a 2-1 walk-off win over Burlington (19-30) (LAA), salvaging the fourth and final game of the series. Peoria (27-22), tied for second with Kane County (ARI), now heads into a huge four-game set with first-place Quad Cities, a team they trail by four.
Kramer Robertson opened the 11th by working a base-on-balls. The shortstop was fleet of foot enough to score from first after Mendoza’s double into center.
The Chiefs’ first tally was also the product of a walk, this time by Nick Plummer. Plummer worked a free pass with one gone in the third, promptly stole second which put him in position to score on Mick Fennell’s single to right. Fennell went 2-for-5.
Peoria’s quarter of hurlers matched the Bees’ six hits allowed. Anthony Shew gave up four of them over 5 1/3, resulting in one run. Colton Thomson left Shew’s last two runners on, recording five outs. Leland Tilley and Yeison Medina each went two frames, Medina working around two hits for his fourth win against no losses.
Monday’s game: at Quad Cities (31-18) (HOU), 6:35 pm CT, Ian Oxnevad (3-9, 4.21)
Vermont 9 at State College 4
A five-run third doomed the Spikes to a 9-4 loss to the Lake Monsters (28-25) (OAK), preventing a three-game sweep of the Stedler Division leaders. State College (29-24) is in third place in the Pinckney Division, two behind West Virginia (PIT).
Paul Balestrieri (L, 3-2) could not finish the third, surrendering six runs, four earned, on four hits and three walks in 2 1/3. His final run scored with Alex Fagalde on the mound, who stranded one of two inherited runners. Fagalde permitted two hits and two walks over 2 1/3, striking out three.
Jason Zgardowski left Fagalde’s last two runners aboard but gave up a run on three hits in 1 1/3. Noel Gonzalez and Levi MaVorhis were both touched for a tally during their inning of work but Steven Farinaro tossed a clean ninth.
State College generated nine hits with seven of nine starters acquiring at least one. Scott Hurst and Wood Myers had two hits apiece, Hurst doubling once in four at bats with a walk and RBI while Myers singled twice in five at bats, knocking in one.
Monday’s game: Off for the New York-Penn League All-Star break, with the game taking place on Tuesday, July 15th at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, NY, home of the Tri-City ValleyCats.
Elizabethton 12 at Johnson City 1
Second-place Johnson City’s six game winning streak (27-23) was stomped by first-place Elizabethton, 12-1, evening the series at one game each with two on tap.
Franyel Casadilla (L, 1-4) was charged with six runs on five hits and four walks in five plus. Brett Seeburger allowed all three inherited runners score, giving up two hits in two innings. Will Changarotty (two innings) and Jake Walsh (one inning) permitted three runs each but only one of the six scores was earned due to two miscues.
Johnson City mustered eight hits but their only run scored after Irving Lopez opened the first with a walk, advanced to third on Wadye Ynfante’s double and crossed on Julio Rodriguez’ 5-3 groundout. Ynfante went 3-for-4 with the aforementioned double.
Monday’s game: vs. Elizabethton (30-21) (MIN), 7:00 pm ET, Evan Guillory (2-1, 2.87)
GCL Cardinals 10 at GCL Nationals 4
A balanced offensive effort resulted in the Gulf Cards’ 10-4 win over the Nationals (23-17), co-leaders of the East Division. The second-place Cardinals (20-18) trail both the Nationals and Astros by two games.
All nine starters accumulated at least one of the team’s 12 hits, eight of nine either scoring or driving in a tally. Jonatan Machado, Elehuris Montero and Carlos Soto each had two hits, Machado scoring one with two RBI while Montero crossed home once, driving in one and Soto touched home twice, knocking in one. Doubles by Taylor Bryant and Dariel Gomez were the only hits to go for extra bases.
Brian Pirela (W, 3-3) tossed a quality effort, yielding three runs on nine hits and two walks through six. Gabriel Gentner was charged with an unearned tally during his two-inning stint while Keven Hamann faced the minimum in the ninth.
Monday’s game: vs. third-place GCL Marlins (19-21), 12:00 pm ET, Noel De Jesus (1-1, 3.09)
DSL Cardinals – off
The Dominican Summer League does not play on Sundays.
Monday’s games: DSL Cardinals (25-34) at/vs. DSL Yankees (24-34). Game one – 10:30 am ET, TBA
Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation: Springfield Speedster Mercado Developing “Sneaky Power”
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