[rink23]

Record: 6-2, 1st (Tied/w. Springfield), 2 GA Des Moines
St. Louis jumped out in front with four runs in the top of the first inning and also got a strong start from rookie Ming Xiang, as the River Walkers downed Cedar Rapids 7-1 at Connie Park Park (1960).
Mark Herman provided the big blow of the top of the first with a three-run home run off Grapplers starting pitcher Joey Ross.
Before that, though, Manuel Coke had scored Bob Saavedra with a sacrifice fly.
Saavedra had led off the game with a bunt single.
He had moved to third when Jackson Miller reached on an error by Cedar Rapids second baseman Mark Hill.
The St. Louis lead grew to 5-0 in the top of the fourth, when Jean Segura led off with a triple off Ross.
He scored when catcher Tim Jurgensen was charged with a passed ball.
Now up 5-1, the final two Walkers runs came in the eighth.
Nick Shaw led off the inning with his fifth homer, and 20th RBI, of the young season.
It came off Keith Kirby.
Herman later doubled and scored when Abdul-Nasser bin amr singled off Jordyn Ibarra.
Xiang, making just his second start in the MBL after signing with St. Louis in the offseason, didn't allow a hit until Miguel Mena hit a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the fifth.
Altogether, Xiang (1-0) went 5.2 innings, allowing the one run on two hits. He struck out six and walked three.
Maxilliano Minelli, also a rookie, got the final out of the sixth and first out of the seventh.
Ron Cox finished off the seventh for St. Louis.
Brett McVey kept the Grapplers off the scoreboard in the eighth and ninth.