Just like a good super hero should, Juan Diaz ended a wild game on Friday night by blasting an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left field, giving the Springfield Cardinals an unbelievable 10-9 victory over the Wichita Wranglers on Friday night at Hammons Field.  The Cards conclude an 11-game home stand with an 8-3 record, splitting the four-game series with the Wranglers.

Diaz, who crushed a mammoth solo shot to left-center in the third inning, became just the second Cardinals player this season to homer twice in a game.  Diaz now has seven home runs on the year, and with three RBI’s on the night, now has 22 RBI’s in 21 games as a Cardinal.

Trailing 9-6 in the ninth, the Wranglers scored three times against Springfield closer Evan Rust.  With two on and one out, Mike Aviles picked up an RBI single to left, making it 9-7.  With runners at first and second and one out, Wichita catcher Matt Tupman hit a hard one-hopper back to the hill.  Rust had the ball go off of his glove, but still had time to recover.  The throw to second base however, went all the way to the center field wall, allowing both base runners to score, tying the game at 9-9.  On the play, Tupman was sent home by Manager Frank White, but was thrown out by Aaron Herr, as Dan Moylan hung on for the second out.  Anthony Ferrari (1-1) was then ! summoned out of the Cards bullpen to face Brennan King.  King lined a ground-rule double down the right field line, but was stranded when Ferrari retired pinch hitter John Draper.

Diaz’s shot in the bottom of the ninth was a towering high fly ball that just barely cleared the wall in left field, against losing pitcher Jonah Bayliss (1-2).  With the blast, Diaz records the third walk-off homer in Cards history.  Diaz also becomes the first Cards player to record a four-hit game, going 4-5 on the night, with two homers and three RBI’s.

Papo Bolivar’s three-run pinch hit double cleared the bases in the eighth, snapping a 6-6 tie.  The Wranglers tied the game in the top of the inning on a solo home run from Brennan King, his third of the year.

The Cards took an early 3-0 lead in the first, highlighted by RBI hits from Diaz and Travis Hanson.  Leading 3-2 in the third, the Cards got the solo homer from Diaz to make it 4-2.  After another Hanson hit, Aaron Herr crushed his fifth homer of the year, making it 6-2 against Wichita starter Brian Bass.

Cards starter Stuart Pomeranz pitched well, leaving with the lead.  Pomeranz pitched into the sixth inning, allowing three earned runs on seven hits.