[rink23]

Record: 39-30, 1st, 2 GA Springfield
St. Louis pounded its way to a 9-3 lead then survived a pair of home runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat Kansas City 9-6 at Busch Stadium (1997).
A two-run double from Larry Ernesto off Pit Masters starting pitcher Juan Sandoval in the bottom of the second inning staked the River Walkers to a 2-0 lead.
An inning later, a lead-off homer from Carlos Vidal made it 3-0.
Kansas City's Josh Shuler took Steven Brault deep in the fourth to make it 3-1.
The Walkers doubled their run total in the bottom of the fifth with three runs.
Jared Thomas pretty much made it happen with a two-out, three-run homer off Sandoval.
An RBI single from Logan Tanner in the sixth off Walkers reliever Angel Tiburcio in the sixth made it 6-2.
Pinch-hitter Jayson Gonzalez then made it 6-3 with a solo homer off Luis Palomo to open the seventh.
But the Walkers struck for three more runs in the eighth, Vidal collecting two more RBIs with a double off Austin Hansen.
Vidal later scored on a Rhys Hoskins single.
Still, the Masters made it interesting in the ninth against Tim Hill.
Ryan McMahon hit a solo homer with one out and Blaze Jordan smacked a two-run job with two outs.
But Hill got Carlos Correa to ground out to end it.
Walkers starter Steven Brault (6-3) allowed two runs on five hits over 5.1 innings.
Angel Tiburicio got the final two outs of the sixth.
Five relievers followed those two -- Palomo (0.0 IP), Williams Jerez (0.2),. Jake Brentz (0.2), Edwin Diaz (0.2) and Hill -- as St. Louis put away the win.
Brentz did have to leave the game with an undisclosed injury.