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Record: 66-40, 1st, 6.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids blasted five home runs -- including two in the seventh inning and one in the eighth -- to power its way to a 9-6 win over St. Louis at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
The win allowed the Grapplers to avoid getting swept in the three-game series.
It was a wild final four innings.
St. Louis scored three times in the top of the sixth -- pitcher Jesse McNaboe drove in a run with a single off Grapplers relief pitcher Omar Benitez while Bob Saavadera plated the other two with a triple -- to go up 4-1.
Cedar Rapids stormed right back to tie it in the bottom of the inning.
Mark Hill led off the inning with a homer off McNaboe.
Eric Gebhardt later connected for an RBI single off reliever Nick Ruffalo.
Tim Jurgensen plated the inning's final run with a fly ball.
Hector Taveras homered off Evan Palmer in the top of the seventh, giving the Walkers a 5-4 lead.
The Grapplers wiped that out and took the lead with a pair of two-run homers off Zachary Stella in the bottom of the inning.
Dane Finch struck first, two batters later Miguel Mato took Stella deep.
Mato had homered for Cedar Rapids first run, back in the bottom of the fifth off McNaboe.
The Walkers did get a run in the ninth, but Keith Kirby was able to get Nick Shaw to fly out with one runner aboard to end it.
Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Joey Ross went 5.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits. He struck out six and walked one.
The Grapplers used six relievers after that with five of them -- Omar Benitez (0.1 IP), Lorenzo Mascorro (0.1), Evan Palmer (0.1), Matt Ray (0.2) and Cory Tiller (0.2) -- recording two outs of less.
Ray (2-4) earned the win.
Kirby did pitched 1.1 innings, while earning his 18th save.