photo: Nolan Sparks (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 4-2 on Friday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Palm Beach starter Nolan Sparks, pitched five scoreless innings with only four hits allowed, fanned six and walked two. Other standouts include Max Rajcic, Travis Honeyman, Graysen Tarlow, Johnfrank Salazar, Jonathan Mejia and Luis Piño.
Results for games played Friday, July 4.
The Triple-A Redbirds fell to the Sounds by the score of 6-1 on Friday at AutoZone Park. Starter Tekoah Roby pitched 4 1/3 innings, gave up four runs, one earned, on five hits, fanned six and walked one. Roby took the loss.
Alex Cornwell surrendered two runs in two innings of relief. Roddery Muñoz threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings on one hit and with two strikeouts. Ryan Fernandez tossed a scoreless ninth.
Nashville scored three runs in the third inning, added a run in the fifth and two in the seventh to increase the lead to 6-0.
Memphis scored their only run in the eighth inning via small ball. Gavin Collins walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Matt Lloyd walked. Brody Moore grounded into a force out as Collins advanced to third. Mike Antico plated Collins on a sac fly.
The offense scored one run on just three hits, doubles by Bryan Torres and Jimmy Crooks and a single by Luken Baker, and three walks. The offense was 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position, left four men on base and struck out 10 times.
On defense, outfielders Michael Siani and Matt Koperniak each made a throwing error. Crooks was charged with catcher interference.
Memphis is 45-38 overall, 4-6 in the second half. They are three games back of first place in the IL West.
Saturday’s game: at Nashville, Quinn Mathews LHP (2-3, 4.50) vs. Garrett Stallings RHP (2-1, 3.06) 6:35 CT
Springfield 3 at NW Arkansas 2
The Double-A Cardinals edged the Naturals in a 3-2 road win on Friday.
Starter Max Rajcic pitched seven innings, gave up two runs on eight hits and struck out three to earn his third win.
Sean Harney relieved Rajcic and threw a scoreless eighth. Luis Gastelum tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his third save.
Springfield went up 1-0 in the top of the third. Dakota Harris singled, stole second, and advanced to third on an error. Noah Mendlinger reached on a fielder’s choice and Harris scored.
In the home third, NW Arkansas took a 2-1 lead.
In the eighth, the Cardinals regained the lead at 3-2. Mendlinger walked and Leonardo Bernal singled. Chase Davis plated Mendlinger on a single. Jeremy Rivas walked. Bernal came home on a sac fly by Ramon Mendoza.
The Cardinals scored three runs on seven hits. Harris was 2-for-3. Bernal was 2-for-5.
On the bases, Harris stole his 12th base of the season. Davis swiped his fourth bag. Rivas stole his 13th base.
On defense, St. Louis rehabber Jordan Walker made a throwing error. Walker also had an outfield assist at second base. At the plate, he went 0-for 5 with three strikeouts.
Springfield is 49-30 overall, 6-4 in the second half and is one game back of a two-way first place tie between Arkansas and Wichita.
Saturday’s game: at NW Arkansas, Hancel Rincon RHP (2-0, 3.10) vs. Shane Panzini RHP (2-0, 3.91) 7:05 CT.
The High-A Chiefs defeated the Cubs in a 9-4 road win on Friday. Starter Jose Davila pitched 4 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on six hits, fanned five and walked two.
Michael Watson relieved Davila and surrendered one run in 1 1/3 innings. D.J. Carpenter yielded one run in two innings and received the win. Benjamin Arias tossed a scoreless ninth.
Peoria took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Won-Bin Cho singled. Jon Jon Gazdar and Travis Honeyman were hit by pitches. Ryan Campos grounded into a force out as Cho scored.
The Chiefs added seven runs in the fourth to lead 8-0. Brayden Jobert reached on an error. Tre Richardson doubled to score Jobert. Richardson came home on a single by Gazdar. Honeyman and Campos walked. Ian Petrutz was hit by a pitch and Gazdar scored. Chase Adkison walked to plate Honeyman. Graysen Tarlow doubled to drive in Campos, Petrutz and Adkison.
Not one, not two, but THREE score on a Tarlow double!
PEO 8 | SB 0 pic.twitter.com/9zqyBTSVbd
— Peoria Chiefs (@peoriachiefs) July 5, 2025
South Bend got on the board in the fifth to cut the lead to 8-2. They added one in the sixth and one in the seventh.
In the ninth, the Chiefs put up a final run to make it 9-4. Cho doubled, advanced to second on a ground out by Gazdar and scored on a sac fly by Honeyman.
The Peoria offense scored nine runs on nine hits. Honeyman was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Cho was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Tarlow had three RBI.
On the bases, Richardson stole his 10th base of the season. Gazdar was caught stealing.
Peoria is 34-44 overall, 8-5 in the second half, and is in a three-way tie for first place in the Midwest League West.
Saturday’s game: vs. South Bend, Gerardo Salas RHP (2-7, 8.65) vs. Ryan Gallagher RHP (4-4, 3.34) 6:05 CT.
The Low-A Cardinals pounded the Hammerheads to the tune of a 11-3 as the away team at Roger Dean on Friday.
The starting pitching was strong as Nolan Sparks tossed five scoreless innings, allowed four hits, fanned six and walked two to earn his third win.
Jack Findlay relieved Sparks and surrendered three runs in two innings. Yordy Herrera tossed the final two scoreless innings.
The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the third inning. Jose Cordoba walked. Jonathan Mejia and Johnfrank Salazar singled to jam the sacks. Deniel Ortiz plated Cordoba and Mejia on a single.
The Beach Birds added two more runs in the fourth to lead 4-0. Luis Piño tripled and Yordalin Peña followed with a two-run home run.
SHOOT FOR THE STARS!💫
Yordalin Pena hits his fifth homer, putting the Beachbirds ahead 4-0 against the Hammerheads! pic.twitter.com/YS8AXSVi58
— Palm Beach Cardinals (@GoPBCardinals) July 4, 2025
Palm Beach ran up the score to 6-0 in the fifth on a two-run home run by Piño. Jupiter finally got on the board with three runs in the seventh.
Seeing double👀👀
Luis Pino matches Yordalin Pena's energy and hits his 7th homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/6YzTDttiwt
— Palm Beach Cardinals (@GoPBCardinals) July 4, 2025
The Cardinals added five runs in the eighth to widen the lead to 11-3. Peña walked. Sammy Hernandez was hit by a pitch. Cordoba singled. Mejia drove in Peña and Hernandez on a single. Cordoba and Mejia came home on a double by Salazar. Salazar scored on a sac fly by Cade McGee.
The Cardinals scored 11 runs on 13 hits. Salazar was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Piño was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Mejia was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Peña was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Cordoba was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Ortiz had two RBI.
On the bases, Christian Martin stole his 13th base of the season. Cordoba was caught stealing.
Palm Beach is 36-41 overall, 4-8 in the second half, and is in last place in the FSL East, four games back of St. Lucie.
Saturday’s game: at Jupiter, RHP Leonel Sequera (2-6, 4.24) vs. TBD 5:00 CT.
FCL Cardinals 3 at FCL Nationals 2
The rookie Cardinals edged the Nationals in a 3-2 road win on Friday. Starter Hunter Kublick pitched 1 1/3 innings, gave up one run on three hits, struck out one and walked one.
Antoni Cuello relieved Kublick and threw 2/3 of a scoreless inning. Ronny Oliver hurled three scoreless frames. Yadiel Batista surrendered one run with four strikeouts in the final four innings to earn the win.
The Nationals took a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
The Cardinals scored two runs in the top of the eighth to take the lead 2-1. Andru Arthur walked. Yairo Padilla was hit by a pitch. Heriberto Caraballo singled to score Arthur and Padilla.
The Nationals tied the game in the home eighth.
The Cardinals regained the lead 3-2 in the ninth. Yancel Guerrero reached on an error and stole second base. Yoerny Junco plated Guerrero on a single.
The Cardinals scored three runs on five hits. No Cardinal had multiple hits. Caraballo had two RBI.
The Cardinals were active on the bases, with mixed results. Guerrero stole three bases. Hancel Almonte swiped his first bag. Romtres Cabrera stole two bases. Junco was caught stealing. Arthur was picked off second base. Padilla and Junco were picked off first base.
On defense, Padilla made a throwing error. Facundo Velasquez had an outfield assist at home plate.
The Cardinals are 18-22 on the season and are in fourth place in the Florida Complex League East, 7.5 games back of the FCL Astros.
Saturday’s game: vs. FCL Nationals, TBD vs. TBD 9:00 am CT.
DSL Cardinals 2 at DSL Miami 8
The Dominican Cardinals fell to Miami by an 8-2 score on Friday. Starter Xavier Cruz pitched 1 2/3 innings, gave up three runs on two hits, struck out three and walked two. Cruz took the loss.
Hendrick Cana relieved Cruz and surrendered one run with four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings. Pedro Olivero yielded four runs, three earned, in 1 1/3 innings. Briam Reyes tossed the final 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Miami took a 4-0 lead in the second inning.
The Cardinals scored one run in the third to cut the lead to 4-1. Sebastian Dos Santos walked. Juan Rujano doubled. Yaxson Lucena grounded out and Dos Santos came home.
The Cardinals added their second run in the top of the sixth on a solo home run by Yeferson Portolatin.
Miami made it 5-2 in the home sixth and widened the lead to 8-2 in the seventh.
The Cardinals scored two runs on four hits. The offense was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
On the bases, Rujano was caught stealing. On defense, Dos Santos and Michael Cordero each made a throwing error. Olivero picked a runner off first base.
The DSL Cardinals are 14-10 on the season.
Saturday’s game: vs. DSL Rangers Blue, TBD vs. TBD 9:00 am CT.
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