photo: Wilfredo Pereira (Peoria Chiefs)
Stingy pitching yielded just four runs total as the St. Louis Cardinals system went 3-1 on Saturday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, Wilfredo Pereira, spun eight scoreless innings for Springfield. Other standouts include Matt Koperniak, Noah Mendlinger, Leonardo Taveras and Francisco Hernandez.
Results from games played Saturday, May 20th.
Memphis 3, Gwinnett 1 (10 innings)
The Memphis Redbirds (25-19) and Matt Koperniak walked off the Gwinnett Stripers (ATL, 19-24) on Saturday at AutoZone Park. All the scoring occurred in the 10th inning as the Redbirds broke their five-game losing streak.
In a bullpen game, Kyle Leahy tossed five scoreless innings on six hits and a walk. The 25-year-old fanned three. James Naile pitched four perfect innings with three strikeouts, requiring only 39 pitches total.
With a scoreless game through nine innings, the contest went into extras. After the Stripers brought in a run in the 10th, the Redbirds responded in the home half. Errol Robinson singled in Taylor Motter to tie. Matt Koperniak launched his first Triple-A homer to end the game.
WALK-OFF 2-RUN HR FOR MATT KOPERNIAK! 💥
It is Matt's first career Triple-A home run. pic.twitter.com/FLoVdA3cqT
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) May 21, 2023
Jake Walsh yielded an unearned run in the 10th inning on a hit and two strikeouts. TCN’s no. 20 prospect received his second win of 2023.
Jordan Walker and Robinson recorded two hits apiece. Koperniak plated two. The lineup left seven runners on base but the pitching held Gwinnett to one run on seven hits.
Sunday’s game: vs. Gwinnett, RHP Dakota Hudson (1-1, 5.40) vs. RHP Allan Winans (2-2, 3.43) 2:05 CT
Springfield 9 at NW Arkansas 0
The Springfield Cardinals blanked the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (KC, 18-20) at Arvest Ballpark on Saturday night.
Wilfredo Pereira recorded eight scoreless innings for the Cardinals. The right-hander earned his second win after he yielded only two hits, a walk and two strikeouts. Logan Sawyer tossed a perfect ninth inning.
The Cardinals took the lead in the sixth inning as Chandler Redmond singled to plate a run. Jose Alvarez came across on a wild pitch and Justin Toerner’s sac fly scored Redmond.
In the eighth, Noah Mendlinger singled to add a run. Arquímedes Gamboa tripled to clear the loaded bases to make the score 7-0. Mendlinger tripled in the ninth for two more runs.
Mike Antico, Gamboa and Mendlinger all tripled in the contest. Mendlinger went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored. Redmond had a hit, two walks, an RBI and three runs scored. The lineup recorded 10 hits and six walks and the pitching shut out the Naturals on two hits.
Sunday’s game: at NW Arkansas, LHP Kenny Hernandez (3-1, 5.81) vs. RHP Alec Marsh (2-1, 3.86) 2:05 CT
The Peoria Chiefs (20-18) topped the Cedar Rapids Kernels (MIN, 21-17) at PG Cares Field on Saturday.
Starter Alex Cornwell threw 5 1/3 innings and was touched for a run on three hits and two walks. TCN’s no. 49 prospect struck out five and earned his fourth win of the season.
In the second, Francisco Hernandez blasted a solo home run, his first of the year. Nathan Church and Jimmy Crooks singled in the second inning to plate two runs and make the score 3-0.
Leonardo Taveras was lights out from the bullpen after he pitched 3 2/3 shutout innings with eight strikeouts. The right-hander saved his second game with one walk and no hits yielded.
The Chiefs added more runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Ramon Mendoza scored a run in the sixth via groundout. Aaron McKeithan had an RBI double in the seventh to increase the lead to 5-1.
The game ended on Taveras’ eighth strikeout, generated by a pitch clock violation charged to the final Cedar Rapids batter.
Church and McKeithan had three hits apiece as McKeithan doubled twice and Church tripled. Hernandez homered and went 2-for-4. Peoria pitchers fanned 13 Cedar Rapids hitters.
Victor Scott II took his MiLB-leading 30th bag of the season.
Sunday’s game: at Cedar Rapids, RHP Ian Bedell (2-1, 1.16) vs. Alejandro Hidalgo (0-1, 1.50) 1:05 CT
The Palm Beach Cardinals (24-14) were edged by the St. Lucie Mets (NYM, 9-29) on Saturday night at Clover Park. In the process, the Beach Birds’ winning streak was halted at six games.
Starter Brycen Mautz took his second loss after he surrendered two runs in the first inning. TCN’s no. 10 prospect yielded six hits, three walks and four strikeouts in six frames.
The Beach Birds scored their only run in the fifth inning as Jose Zapata came across on a wild pitch. With the bases loaded and two out, Won-Bin Cho grounded out to end the best threat of the evening.
Reliever Tanner Jacobson tossed two perfect innings with four strikeouts.
Alex Iadisernia, R.J. Yeager and Zapata had the only hits for the Cardinals. The lineup recorded three walks and left eight runners on base. No one had an extra base hit and Cho stranded five runners.
Sunday’s game: at St. Lucie, RHP Cade Winquest (2-1, 3.18) vs. RHP Jawilme Ramirez (1-1, 2.73) 11:10 CT
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