POMERANZ WITH A GEM

The Springfield Cardinals ended their longest road trip of the year with their most impressive win of 2005.  The Cardinals pounded out a season-best 15 runs on Wednesday night, hammering the Frisco RoughRiders by a final score of 15-1.

Lost in the offensive break-out was the gem turned in by starting pitcher Stuart Pomeranz, who had his best outing of the year for the Cardinals.  Pomeranz (3-5) went 7.2 innings, allowing a run in the eighth to bust up the shutout.  The right-hander scattered eight hits and did not walk a batter, fanning seven on the night.  Andy Cavazos and Joe Nelson worked the final 1.1 innings of scoreless innings. 

Springfield took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning and never let the Riders back in it.  After Shaun Boyd walked to open the game, Rick Ankiel knocked him in with an RBI double, putting the Cards up 1-0.  Travis Hanson collected an RBI double scoring Ankiel for a 2-0 lead, then scored from third on an RBI groundout by Aaron Herr, capping the inning at 3-0 against Frisco starter Nick Massett (5-10). 

The game actually remained that way all the way until the sixth, when Shaun Boyd’s three-run homer put the Cards in front 6-0 against Frisco reliever Steven Rowe.  The homer for Boyd is his fourth of the road trip, and fifth of the year. 

Gabe Johnson hammered a grand slam with two outs in the sixth to break the game open, making it 10-1.  For Johnson, the homer is his fourth of the year, all on the current road trip. 

Pomeranz gave up a two-out RBI double to Vincent Sinisi in the bottom of the eighth, but Andy Cavazos came out of the pen and got Jason Hart to foul out on just one pitch, ending the inning. 

The Cards capped the game by tallying five runs in the ninth.  Boyd’s two-run double made it 12-1, giving Boyd five RBI’s on the night.  Rick Ankiel would follow with a two-run blast to center, his second with the Cards, making it 14-1.  Two batters later, Aaron Herr ripped his career-best and team-leading 20^th homer of the year. 

Boyd finished the night with a season-best four hits, going 4-5.  Ankiel also had a season-best three-hits, going 3-4 with three RBI’s and two walks.  Every Card starter had at least one of Springfield’s 18 hits on the night.

The Cardinals climb to within 6.5 games of Arkansas in the East Division, improving to 19-26 in the second half.  The Cardinals will return home to Hammons Field Hammons Field on Thursday, August 11^th to face the Midland RockHounds and the Frisco RoughRiders in a seven-game home stand.  Oscar Alvarez (6-2) throws for Springfield, while Steven Bondurant goes to the hill for Midland.  Game time from Hammons Field on Thursday night is 7:10pm.  Don’t forget about AM Pyrotechnics Friday Night Fireworks on Friday, August 12^th.  Tickets are available by calling (417) 863-2143 or online at www.springfieldcardinals.com.