The Springfield Cardinals couldn't continue their offensive momentum from Sunday night's explosion in Tulsa.  Instead, the first-place Arkansas Travelers held Springfield to a single run in a 9-1 win in the opening game of a five-game set at Ray Winder Field in Little Rock.

Travs starter Steven Shell (8-7) scattered eight hits over seven innings, allowing just an RBI single to Rick Ankiel. 

Arkansas hit three homers, including one by league-leader Mike Napoli, his 21st of the year, giving the Travs an early 2-0 lead in the first.  Erick Aybar connected for the fifth time this year, a solo drive to right field in the third inning for a 3-0 lead. 

The Cards got on the board in the fifth, as Rick Ankiel, who was added to the roster on Tuesday from the Midwest League's Swing of the Quad Cities, picked up an RBI single, knocking in Brendan Ryan who opened the inning with a single.  Ankiel's hit, just his second in a Springfield uniform, gave him his first RBI as a Springfield Cardinal.   

The Travs added two in the bottom of the fifth against Cards starter Jordan Pals, as Erick Aybar picked up a sac fly and Howie Kendrick knocked in a run with a double, making it 5-1.  Arkansas chased Pals in the seventh, then got to Cards reliever Alan Benes.  With two men aboard, Kendrick doubled again, driving in two runs to make it 7-1.  Pals (5-9) allowed six runs in 6.1 innings, only four were earned.

Benes allowed a solo homer to Kendry Morales in to open the eighth, making it 8-1.  Benes then allowed back-to-back hits, with Mike Eylward's run-scoring double plating the final Arkansas run of the game at 9-1.  Kevin Ool came out of the Springfield bullpen with Eylward at second and retired all three hitters he faced.

The Cardinals are now 16-22, 5.5 games behind division-leading Arkansas in the Texas League's East Division.  Springfield will go with Randy Leek (10-6) on Wednesday night, while Arkansas counters with Willie Collazo in game two of the five-game series.  Game time on Wednesday night from Little Rock will be at 7:10pm.