Late rally caps 3-2 win for Cardinals over Travelers

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The only thing wasting away in Margaritaville on Friday was Travelers baserunners.

The setting sun on Springfield's Margaritaville Night themed uniforms burned Arkansas early and put them to bed late as the Travelers managed just four hits in a 3-2 comeback Cardinals win in front of 5,136 fans at Hammons Field.

An Andrew Knizner bloop single to center and a bloop double by Granden Goetzman set the table for that Cardinals comeback in the eighth. Victor Roache followed the back-to-back hits with a strikeout, but Stefan Trosclair drew Springfield even with a sac fly to left. Then, a two-out Luke Dykstra single pushed the Cardinals ahead 3-2.

Jacob Evans finished off the Travelers in the ninth and capped a perfect final three innings for the lefty to earn his first win of the season. Evans struck out five batters over that stretch.

Springfield struck first for the second straight game when Goetzman extended his hit streak to eight games off a run-scoring single in the second.

Arkansas jumped ahead 2-1 in the fourth when Joey Curletta just missed a home run off Cardinals reliever Austin Sexton but still hustled out a two-run double that brought in Chuck Taylor and Eric Filia, who had reached off Cardinals starting pitcher Connor Jones.

Jones threw just three innings for Springfield, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out a pair.

Sexton tossed three scoreless innings in relief of Jones.

The win means Springfield avoids 0-4 starts in both halves this season after opening the 1st-Half 0-4 in Midland and Frisco.

UP NEXT

The Cardinals and Travelers meet again Saturday night with first pitch coming at 6:10 pm.

Saturday is our Mercy Dry Fit Cardinals Polo Shirt giveaway for 2,000 fans.