Wind Surge Lose Late After Back-And-Forth Friday Night With Cardinals
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—The Wichita Wind Surge lost 9-7 against the Springfield Cardinals at Hammons Field. The Cardinals connected on three home runs throughout the contest before switching back to offense that kept the ball in the yard to take their final lead in the eighth. Jake Rucker doubled down the left
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—The Wichita Wind Surge lost 9-7 against the Springfield Cardinals at Hammons Field. The Cardinals connected on three home runs throughout the contest before switching back to offense that kept the ball in the yard to take their final lead in the eighth.
Jake Rucker doubled down the left field line on the first pitch of the night. Wichita’s leadoff man tagged up to third after a lineout to center before scoring on a sacrifice fly the other way from lefty hitter Tyler Dearden for his first RBI as a member of the Wind Surge in the top of the first.
Nathan Church slugged his eighth home run of the season and second of the series on a solo shot to right field to tie the game in the bottom of the second inning. Jimmy Crooks followed a similar feat by hitting a two-run blast an inning later in the home half of the third for a 3-1 Cardinals lead.
Wichita loaded the bases on a Carson McCusker double and back-to-back walks from Tanner Schobel and Ben Ross with two outs in the top of the fourth; Noah Cardenas worked a bases-loaded walk to put the Wind Surge within one. A passed ball worked its way past Kyler Fedko in the following at-bat, allowing Schobel to score and even the score at 3-3.
Springfield put men on the corners in the bottom of the fourth, threatening to take the lead back once again, but Schobel laid out to snag a liner from Tommy Edman and step on third base for the force to end the inning.
That'll Save A Run Minimum!
— Wichita Wind Surge (@WindSurgeICT) July 13, 2024
After we tied the game on a bases-loaded walk and a passed ball, Tanner Schobel extended toward the line to make the play and finish the force out to keep the game tied.
E4
Wind Surge: 3
Cardinals: 3 pic.twitter.com/4oW9HcwHhU
Noah Mendlinger later broke that tie on an RBI single that eeked its way out to left in the bottom of the fifth. Jacob Buchberger followed with a knock of his own, then Chandler Redmond left the yard for the 60th time in his Cardinals career, setting the new franchise record for round-trippers with the team on a three-run long ball to right-center. The four runs coming around in the frame made the score 7-3 Springfield after five.
Dearden led off the top of the sixth with a base hit to right and made it over to third after Schobel and Ross worked back-to-back walks. Cardenas followed with a line drive grand slam, his third homer of the year, that lifted over the left field wall to put the game back to square one at 7-7. All three grand slams the Wind Surge have hit this season are against the Cardinals.
Game-Tying Grand Salami!
— Wichita Wind Surge (@WindSurgeICT) July 13, 2024
Noah Cardenas sends a rocket over the left-field wall to clear the bases.
M6
Wind Surge: 7
Cardinals: 7 pic.twitter.com/5lLzgJ9s1U
Both teams stranded runners on base on both sides of the seventh, then Wichita put men at second and third with no outs in the top of the eighth before a bang-bang 1-5 double play ended the inning. Matt Lloyd and Crooks accounted for the go-ahead run and another insurance tally on a sacrifice fly to left and a double off the base of the centerfield wall in the bottom of the eighth en route to Matt Svanson converting save #14 in the ninth.
Taylor Floyd is now 0-2 on the season after receiving the loss, surrendering an earned run on a hit with two walks and a strikeout in one and one-third innings of work.
The Wind Surge continue their final series before the All-Star Break at Springfield tomorrow, Saturday, July 13, at Hammons Stadium, with a 6:35 PM first pitch. You can listen to Wind Surge games on ESPN Wichita 92.3 FM, windsurge.com, or watch them online at MiLB.TV and Bally Live. For ticket information, please visit windsurge.com.