[rink23]

Record: 34-28, 1st (Tied/w. Springfield), 3 GA Des Moines
Larry Ernesto connected for a bases-loaded infield single in the bottom of the 12th inning to score Carlos Vidal and give St. Louis a 5-4 win over Cedar Rapids at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win gave the River Walkers in the final two games of their three-game series with the Golden Grapplers.
Vidal had got things going in the bottom of the 12th with a one-out double off reliever Thomas Burrows.
Rhys Hoskins, who had already homered twice, was then given an intentional walk.
Andrew Benintendi loaded the bases with a single.
Ernesto then beat out a ball hit into the no-man's land in the middle of the infield as Vidal crossed the plate with the winning run.
The Walkers won the game despite a rough first inning for ace Alex Faedo.
The Grapplers batted around against Faedo and scored three times, getting RBI singles from Je'Von Ward and Dominic Smith and a run-scoring doule from Jose Leyva.
But Faedo would buckle down and toss six shutout innings before exiting.
By then, the River Walkers had rallied to tie the game.
Hoskins made it 3-2 with a homer off Cedar Rapids starter Takahiro Norimoto in the third inning.
Hoskins second homer of the game, this one off Dan Hammer, in the eighth later tied it.
Cedar Rapids did grab a brief lead in the top of the ninth, Phillip Dull with a two-out solo homer off Angel Tiburico.
But pinch-hitter JT Schwartz forced extra innings with a two-out solo blast of his own off Jose Leclerc.
Faedo ended up working seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits. He struck out seven and walked one.
Tim Hill and Tiburcio both followed with an inning apiece.
The bullpen aces handled the extra innings.
Jake Brentz handled the 10th and 11th.
Edwin Diaz (4-1) took care of the 12th and came out of it with the win.