photo: Luken Baker (Memphis Redbirds)
The St. Louis Cardinals system was 3-3 on Friday. Springfield played a doubleheader. The Player of the Day is Memphis 1B Luken Baker, who was 2-for-4 with a walk, three RBI and two runs scored in the Memphis win over Durham. Other standouts include César Prieto, Mike Antico, Brody Moore, and Ixan Henderson.
Results for games played Friday, May 30.
The Redbirds battered the Bulls in a 12-2 pounding in Durham on Friday. Starter Drew Rom pitched 4 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on one hit, struck out one and walked two.
Ryan Fernandez relieved Rom and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings, earning the win. Zach Weiss hurled two scoreless innings. Riley O’Brien tossed a scoreless ninth.
Memphis scored nine runs in the second inning to go up 9-0. Luken Baker drew a walk. Matt Koperniak reached on a fielder’s choice. Ryan Vilade walked. Gavin Collins singled to score Baker. Mike Antico hit a ground-rule double to drive in Koperniak and Vilade. Brody Moore plated Collins on a single. Moore stole second base. Antico scored on a wild pitch. Moore came home on a single by Thomas Saggese. César Prieto singled. Baker singled to score Saggese and Prieto. Koperniak singled. Baker came home on a ground out by Vilade.
Luken Baker drives home our @LennysSubs 7th (and 8th) run… OF THE INNING! pic.twitter.com/Dsh6XocvH0
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) May 30, 2025
Durham cut the lead to 9-2 in the fifth. The Redbirds added three runs in the eighth to lead 12-2. Moore singled. Saggese singled. Prieto plated Moore and Saggese on a triple. Prieto came home on a ground out by Baker.
Cesar three bags! pic.twitter.com/6rNyeKtO9g
— Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) May 31, 2025
Memphis scored 12 runs on 17 hits. Baker was 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Prieto was 3-for-5 with two RBI. Antico was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Moore was 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Saggese was 2-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored. Collins was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Koperniak was 2-for-5.
On the bases, Moore stole his fourth base of the season. Prieto swiped his fifth bag.
Memphis is 30-23 on the season and is in second place in the International League West, 2 games back of Nashville and 7.5 games back of IL leader Lehigh Valley.
Saturday’s game: at Durham, TBD vs. TBD 5:35 CT.
Springfield 0, NW Arkansas 1 (seven innings, game one)
The Cardinals were blanked by the Naturals 1-0 in the first game of a twin bill on Friday. Starter Ixan Henderson pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up one unearned run on four hits, fanned eight and walked two. Henderson took the loss.
Nathanael Heredia relieved Henderson and got the final out of the seventh.
NW Arkansas went up 1-0 in the fourth inning. This was the only run scored in the game.
The Springfield offense scattered four hits. All four hits were singles from Nathan Church, JJ Wetherholt, Joshua Baez, and Ramon Mendoza. The offense was 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.
On defense, Leonardo Bernal had a passed ball.
Springfield 4, NW Arkansas 2 (seven innings, game two)
The Cardinals beat the Naturals in the second game of the twin bill on Friday. Starter Brycen Mautz pitched 3 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on seven hits and struck out three.
Andrew Marrero relieved Mautz and threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Jack Ralston tossed a scoreless seventh to earn his second save.
NW Arkansas went up 1-0 in the first inning. They made it 2-0 in the fourth.
Springfield got on the board with one run in the fifth on a solo home run by Carlos Linarez. The Cardinals put up three runs in the sixth to lead 4-2. Jeremy Rivas walked. Leonardo Bernal reached on an error. R.J. Yeager singled to score Rivas. Joshua Baez plated Bernal and Yeager on a double.
WELCOME TO SPRINGFIELD JOSHUA BAEZ! The new guy clutches up with a two-run double to give the Cardinals the lead in a seven-inning game. pic.twitter.com/mXvy2UFpEV
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) May 31, 2025
The Cardinals scored four runs on eight hits. Dakota Harris was 2-for-3. Baez had two RBI.
On the bases, Harris stole his fourth base of the season.
Springfield is 26-23 on the season and is in first place in the Texas League North.
Saturday’s game: vs. NW Arkansas, Pete Hansen LHP (3-1, 2.88) 6:35 CT
The Chiefs were walloped by the Timber Rattlers in a 10-1 laugher on Friday. Starter Cade Winquest pitched two innings, gave up four runs, three earned, on four hits and walked three. Winquest took the loss.
Dionys Rodriguez relieved Winquest and surrendered two runs in two innings. Jawilme Ramirez yielded three runs in the fifth. Hunter Hayes allowed one run in the final three innings.
Wisconsin went up 3-0 in the first inning. They added a run in the second to lead 4-0.
Peoria scored their only run of the game in the third. Johnfrank Salazar reached on an error and stole second base. Salazar scored on a single by Jon Jon Gazdar.
The Timber Rattlers piled on with two runs in the fifth, three runs in the sixth, and one run in the eighth.
The Chiefs scored one run on four hits. Won-Bin Cho was 2-for-3. The offense was 1-for-2 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.
On the bases, Salazar stole his sixth base of the season. Graysen Tarlow was caught stealing.
On defense, Tre Richardson made a throwing error.
Peoria is 19-29 on the season and is in fifth place in the Midwest League West, 11.5 games back of Quad Cities.
Saturday’s game: at Wisconsin, Chen-Wei Lin (0-1, 1.80) vs. Bishop Letson RHP (2-0, 1.33) 6:40 CT.
The Cardinals were massacred by the Mets in a 16-1 blowout on Friday. Starter Jason Savacool pitched five innings, gave up five runs, four earned, on four hits, struck out two and walked two, taking the loss.
Jack Findlay relieved Savacool and surrendered six runs in 1 1/3 innings. Conor Steinbaugh yielded two runs in 2/3 innings. Randel Clemente allowed three runs, one earned, in the eighth. Charles Harrison tossed a scoreless ninth.
The Mets took a 3-0 lead in the second inning. The Beach Birds scored one run in the fourth to cut the lead to 3-1. Luis Pino reached on an error and scored on a double by Deniel Ortiz.
The Mets ran up the score, starting with a six-run sixth to lead 9-1. They added four runs in the seventh and three runs in the eighth to reach the final score of 16-1.
The Cardinals managed only two hits. Ortiz had the only extra base hit. Heriberto Caraballo had a single. The offense was 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
On defense, Savacool made an error on a pickoff. Ortiz made a fielding error. Sammy Hernandez dropped a foul ball.
Palm Beach is 22-27 on the season and is in third place in the FSL East, 6 games back of St. Lucie.
Saturday’s game: at St. Lucie, TBD (PB) vs. Will Watson RHP (0-3, 2.78) 5:00 CT
The Cardinals defeated the Mets in a 3-1 contest on Friday. Starter Jacob Odle pitched three innings, giving up one unearned run and fanning five.
Samuel Fabian relieved Odle and threw three scoreless innings to earn the win. Jovi Galvez hurled two scoreless innings. Ronny Oliver tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his second save.
The Mets went up 1-0 in the first inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the third. Chris Lopez walked, advanced to second on a ground out by Facundo Velasquez, and scored on a single by Yairo Padilla.
The Cardinals took the lead in the fourth. Andru Arthur was hit by a pitch. Alejandro Loaiza plated Arthur on a double. The Cardinals made it 3-1 in the fifth. Velasquez singled and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Padilla. Velasquez went to third on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt and then scored on a ground out by Raniel Rodriguez.
The Cardinals scored three runs on four hits. Velasquez was 2-for-3.
On defense, Odle and Yoerny Junco each made throwing errors. Hancel Almonte had a fielding miscue.
The Cardinals are 9-8 on the season and are in third place in the Florida Complex League East, 2.5 games back of the FCL Astros.
Saturday’s game: vs. FCL Nationals, TBD vs TBD 9:00 am CT.
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