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Record: 91-67, 2nd, 6 GB Des Moines
Springfield jumped on St. Louis rookie starting pitcher Jerry Tate for five runs in the top of the first inning -- and lead which eventually grew to 9-2 -- before holding on for a 9-7 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
The victory allowed the Railers to take the finale of the three-game series after dropping the first two.
Springfield put seven of its first eight batters on base against Tate.
Part of that was three consecutive walks, one with the bases loaded.
Ruben Villanueva drove in the inning's first run with a single.
The next two came off the bat of Justin Schnender, who doubed.
A single from Austin Wells plated the final two runs of the outburst.
It leads down to 5-2 following a two-run homer from Jae-hong Chang off Harvesters starter John Haynes in the bottom of the second, Des Moines chased Tate in the top of the third following a lead-off homer from Kyren Paris.
Paris went deep again in the fifth -- this time off reliever Ricky Cisneros -- part of a three-run inning which saw Des Moines' lead grow to 9-2.
The River Walkers did chip their way back into it.
Nathaniel Dixon drove in a run with a triple off Haynes in the fiith.
Daniel Becerra cranked a grand slam off T.J. Darr in the seventh, as the lead shrunk to 9-7.
But that was as close as it would get.
Haynes (11-13) allowed three runs on six hits over five innings.
Edwin Cora worked a scoreless sixth inning.
Darr managed to get two outs in the seventh, before having Jon Santiago to come on and bail him out.
Nick Thiel pitched a silent eighth.
A perfect ninth earned Mike Fagan his 28th save of the season.