Drew Rucinski allowed 1 run over 6 innings, Alex Yarbrough had 3 hits and 2 RBI, and Mike Bianucci had a home run in the ninth inning as the Arkansas Travelers defeated the Springfield Cardinals 4-1 Friday night in front of an announced crowd of 5,703 at Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo.
Rucinski (10-4) allowed 1 run on 7 hits with 4 strikeouts and 3 walks and threw 95 pitches before Danny Reynolds, Jairo Diaz and Cam Bedrosian finished the game. Bedrosian earned his 15th save of the season, striking out the side in the ninth despite allowing a two-out single by Charlie Tilson.
Arkansas took a 1-0 lead in the first on Bianucci's sacrifice fly with the bases loaded that scored Maikol Gonzalez, who led off with a single.
The Travelers made it 2-0 in the third when Yarbrough singled to right field to score Eric Stamets, who had led off with a single to left, moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout by Gonzalez.
Springfield closed to within 2-1 in the fourth when Patrick Wisdom doubled to left-center field to score Jonathan Rodriguez, who led off with a walk, moved to second on Cody Stanley's infield single and went to third when Breyvic Valera grounded into a double play.
The Travelers pushed it to 3-1 in the eighth when Yarbrough tripled to center to drive in Stamets, who had reached on a fielding error by the third baseman Wisdom.
Springfield had a chance to tie it in the bottom of the eighth when Rodriguez walked and Stanley singled to lead off the inning, but Valera popped up a bunt to the pitcher Reynolds, who threw to Stamets at second to double off Rodriguez. After a passed ball allowed Stanley to move to second, Wisdom walked and was replaced by pinch-runner Matt Williams, but Diaz came in and struck out Rafael Ortega to end the inning.
Bianucci led off the ninth and hit the first pitch from Jeremy Berg over the left-center field wall to make it 4-1.
Kurt Heyer (3-10) took the loss, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings.
Wisdom went 3 for 3 with a double and a triple to lead the Cardinals.
Sports on 08/02/2014