photo: Josh Kross (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 2-3 on Saturday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Josh Kross, was 2-for-3, including a double, a two-run home run, a walk, and three RBI. Other standouts include JJ Wetherholt, Christian Martin, Jose Davila and Braden Davis.
Games played on Saturday, April 12.
Memphis Redbirds 2 at Nashville Sounds 6
The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds dropped their second straight contest and the series to the Sounds at First Horizon Park in Nashville on Saturday.
Gordon Graceffo made his second start for Memphis. The right-hander threw four innings and allowed four runs on four hits, three walks, and five strikeouts. Graceffo took the loss.
Lefty Alex Cornwell tossed two innings in relief of Graceffo and surrendered two runs. Right-hander Nick Anderson struck out three in two scoreless innings.
Brandon Woodruff, who did not pitch last season due to injury, made a rehab start for Nashville, working toward rejoining the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Redbirds went down 4-0 early but cut the deficit in half in the top of the fourth against Woodruff. Jose Barrero walked and stole second base. Ryan Vilade drove in Barrero for the Redbirds’ first run. Mike Antico moved Vilade to third on a single. Vilade scored on a sacrifice fly from Gavin Collins.
The Sounds added two more runs in the fifth to extend the lead to 6-2. Neither team scored after the fifth inning.
Memphis scored two runs on six hits, all singles. Ryan Vilade drove in his fifth run of the season on a single. Gavin Collins notched his seventh RBI on a sac fly. Antico recorded two hits. Michael Helman tallied three hits.
On the bases, Bryan Torres stole his third bag. Barrero swiped his second.
Memphis is 6-6 on the season.
Sunday’s game: at Nashville, TBA (Mem) vs. RHP Tobias Myers (0-0, 0.00) 2:05 PM CT.
Springfield Cardinals 3 at Amarillo Sod Poodles 15
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals were thumped by the Amarillo Sod Poodles on Saturday at Hodgetown.
Current Texas League Pitcher of the Week Max Racjic made his second start of the season for Springfield, but it did not go nearly as well as the first. In 3 1/3 innings, the right-hander allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks, with four strikeouts.
Osvaldo Berrios surrendered four runs, two earned, in one inning of relief. Edwin Nuñez threw 1 ⅔ innings and gave up three runs. Austin Love pitched the seventh and eighth inning, and allowed two runs, one earned, with three strikeouts.
Behind 11-0 after five innings, Springfield broke the shutout in the top of the sixth. Chase Davis walked and R.J. Yeager was plunked. Jeremy Rivas reached first on a force out, with Yeager out at second base. Davis crossed the plate on a Dakota Harris single. Rivas and Harris advanced on a balk. Jacob Buchberger brought Rivas home on a single. Harris came home on a wild pitch to make it 11-3.
Amarillo tacked on four more runs over the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings as all four Cardinals pitchers yielded multiple runs. Springfield failed to answer.
The Cardinals scored three runs on six singles. JJ Wetherholt was 2-for-4, including a walk, in his third straight multi-hit game. Darlin Moquete, Carlos Linarez, Harris, and Buchberger each tallied one hit. Davis drew three walks.
Defensively, Springfield committed four fielding errors, by right fielder Moquete, center fielder Davis, shortstop Wetherholt and first baseman Harris.
Springfield is 6-2 on the season.
Sunday’s game: at Amarillo, LHP Pete Hansen (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Roman Angelo (0-1, 16.62), 1:05 PM CT.
Peoria Chiefs 2 at South Bend Cubs 4 (seven innings, Game one)
The High-A Peoria Chiefs fell to the Cubs in South Bend in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader at Four Winds Field for their seventh consecutive loss to open 2025.
Cade Winquest started for the Chiefs. The right-hander pitched three innings and allowed two runs on three hits, one walk and four strikeouts. Winquest took the loss.
Zack Showalter allowed two runs in ⅔ of an inning in relief of Winquest. Dionys Rodriguez followed and tossed 1 ⅓ shutout innings. D.J. Carpenter tallied a scoreless sixth.
Peoria scored the first run of the game in the top of the third inning. Michael Curielle singled and advanced to second base on a fielding error. Jon Jon Gazdar advanced Curielle to third base on a single. Ryan Campos brought Curielle home on an RBI groundout.
The Cubs responded with two runs each in the third and fourth innings to take a 4-1 lead.
Peoria scratched another run across in the fifth inning. Gazdar lined his second single of the game and moved up to second base on a throwing error via pickoff attempt. Campos walked, and Ian Petrotz singled home Gazdar to make it 4-2.
The Chiefs scored two runs on six hits, all singles. Gazdar was a perfect 3-for-3, scoring one run. Petrutz tallied an RBI single. Campos walked and drove in one run. Curialle and Trey Paige each tallied one hit.
On defense, Winquest committed a throwing error.
Peoria Chiefs 4 at South Bend Cubs 2 (seven innings, Game two)
The Chiefs emerged victorious for the first time this season in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader in South Bend against the Cubs. This was the make up of Wednesday’s rainout.
Jose Davila made his second start of 2025. The right-hander tossed five innings of one-run ball and allowed three hits, walked four and struck out one. Davila earned his first win at High-A.
Right-hander Angel Gonzalez pitched the final two innings in relief and gave up one run on one hit, two walks, and three strikeouts. Gonzalez tallied his first save with the Chiefs.
The Chiefs got on the board in the top of the first inning. Miguel Villarroel led off the game with a single and swiped second base. Ian Petrutz brought Villarroel home on a single.
Petrutz singles, Villarroel scores to start the game!
PEO 1 | SB 0 pic.twitter.com/jEbGPGAZZx
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) April 12, 2025
Peoria extended its lead to 2-0 in the fourth inning. Miguel Ugueto doubled and touched home plate on a Trey Paige single.
Paige singles, Ugueto scores in the top of the 4th!
PEO 2 | SB 0 pic.twitter.com/DDkhghd5t3
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) April 12, 2025
The Cubs cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Chiefs immediately responded with a pair of runs in the fifth.
Jon Jon Gazdar and Villarroel began with back-to-back singles. They moved up one base on a balk. Zach Levenson knocked a single to center field to plate Gazdar and Villarroel for a 4-1 lead.
Levenson singles in the top of the 5th, 2 score!
PEO 4 | SB 1 pic.twitter.com/kXXpF520XE
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) April 12, 2025
The Chiefs never trailed in the 4-2 victory.
Peoria scored four runs on 10 hits. Levenson was 2-for-4, including his first two RBI of 2025. Villarroel was 2-for-4, with two runs scored. Johnfrank Salazar and Ugueto tallied their first doubles of 2025. Petrutz recorded an RBI single. Paige drove in his first run of the season. Gazdar singled and scored a run.
On the basepaths, Villarroel stole his first bag. Defensively, Gonzalez made a throwing error. The Chiefs turned three double plays in the game.
Peoria is 1-7 on the season.
Sunday’s game: at South Bend, RHP Hancel Rincon (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Kenten Egbert (0-0, 7.36) 1:05 CT.
Palm Beach Cardinals 11 at Bradenton Marauders 3
The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals crushed the Bradenton Marauders on Saturday at LECOM Park.
Braden Davis made his second professional start for Palm Beach. The right-hander fired four innings and allowed one unearned run on one hit, four walks, and six strikeouts.
Righty Mason Burns tossed two shutout frames in relief on one hit, one walk, and three strikeouts. Sam Brodersen recorded five outs and allowed one run. Michael Watson finished the remaining 1 ⅔ innings and fanned three without a run crossing the plate. Burns earned his first professional win.
Palm Beach’s bats erupted in the top of the first inning, as the visitors scored six runs. Bryce Madron hit a lead-off double. Christian Martin followed with a single that moved Madron to third. Madron crossed home plate on a wild pitch. Cade McGee walked and Josh Kross plated Martin on his third double of the season. Luis Pino doubled in McGee to make it 3-0. Sammy Hernandez scorched a two-run double, scoring Kross and Pino. Anyelo Encarnacion brought Hernandez home on a two-out single to extend the lead to 6-0.
Palm Beach extended its lead to 8-1 in the seventh. Kross reached on a hit-by-pitch and crossed home on a Jose Cordoba double. Deniel Ortiz brought Cordoba in on a single.
Bradenton scored two in the bottom of the seventh, but Palm Beach’s bats were still hot in the eighth.
Madron drew a walk and Martin reached on a fielder’s choice. Madron advanced to third base on the play due to a throwing error. Madron scored on the second consecutive Marauders error, which allowed McGee to reach base. Kross smashed his second home run of the season and grew Palm Beach’s lead to 11-3.
Palm Beach scored 11 runs on 12 hits. Martin was 3-for-6, including a double and a run scored. Kross was 2-for-3, including a double, a two-run home run, one run scored, a walk, and three RBI. For the season, Kross leads the team with eight RBI. Pino was 2-for-5, including a double and one RBI. Hernandez knocked in two runs and touched home twice. Madron doubled and walked twice.
Cordoba, Encarnacion, and Ortiz each recorded one hit and a two-out RBI.
On the basepaths, Encarnacion was caught stealing. Center fielder Madron and catcher Hernandez each made a throwing error.
Palm Beach is 5-3 this season.
Sunday’s game: Pitching probables have not yet been announced for Sunday’s game at Bradenton. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 AM CT.
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