[rink23]

Record: 64-87, 7th, 19 GB Springfield
Dan Hillard drew a bases-loaded walk with no outs in the bottom of the ninth from Springfield relief pitcher Nick Thiel, giving St. Louis a 6-5 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Thiel took the mound to begin the bottom of the ninth, and failed to retire any of the four batters he faced.
Daniel Becerra led off with an infield single.
Becerra was injured on the play, and will miss the remainder of the season with an intercostal strain.
Nathaniel Dixon pinch ran for Becerra.
Thiel then walked Jose Ramirez.
The next batter, Jose Segura, reached on an error by Railers second baseman Wander Samuel Franco to load the bases.
Thiel followed that by throwing four straight ball to Hillard, bringing Dixon home with the winning run.
The Walkers jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Springfield starting pitcher John Haynes.
Jose Ramirez staked the home team to a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first.
Rookie Hector Tavarez connected on a two-run single with two outs in the fourth making it 4-0.
The Railers got on the board in the top of he sixth.
Justin Schneider singled with one out off St. Louis starting pitcher Justin Doughtie.
Alex Otero followed by reaching on an error by Hillard at third base.
Two batters later, John Good took over for Doughtie.
The first batter he faced, pinch-hitter Riley Greene, hit a ground ball to Becerra at second which he booted.
The error allowed Schneider to score.
St. Louis got that run back in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a pinch-hit homer from Glenallen Hill Jr. off reliever Martino Banditelli.
The Railers charged back to tie it with a four-run seventh.
Reliever Chris Eason allowed three of the first four batters he faced to reach.
The last hitter, Schneider, doubled scoring two to make it 5-3.
Josh Forgy got the ball for the Walkers, he also took it on the chin.
Alex Otero doubled to score Schneider and make it 5-4.
Ruben Villanueva followed with a triple, Otero crossing the plate to even the score.
Doughtie handled the first 5.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits. He struck out five and walked three.
Good finished off the sixth, before getting knocked around without recording an out in the seventh.
Eason was even worse, while recording the first out of the seventh.
Forgy handled the rest of the seventh, but not before Springfield tied the game.
Cory Tiller pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
Gil Meier (1-0) set the Railers down in order in the ninth, earning his first win.