2025 St. Louis River Walkers -- Here we go again

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Record: 43-20, 1st, 8.5 GA Springfield
Tanner Kohlhepp hit a three-run homer in the top of the first inning and it was enough to help carry St. Louis to a 5-2 win over Quad City at Fenway Park (1970).
Bo Bichette led off the game with a single off Thunder starting pitcher Nick Wood.
A wild pitch moved Bichette to second.
A single by Edmond Americaan put runners at the corners.
Kohlhepp drove both of them in with his ninth homer of the season, a 388-foot blast over the fence in right field.
Quad City did score twice in the bottom of the first against River Walkers starter Jackson Smeltz, Thomas Dillard collecting both the RBIs when he singled, but those would be the lone tallies of the game for Q-C.
Called up from AAA to make a start for a Walkers starting rotation which has shown signs of wear-and-tear, Smeltz (1-0) allowed 10 hits but just two runs over five innings.
Luis Polomo worked a scoreless sixth inning.
John Curtiss took are of the seventh and eighth.
The ninth belonged to Jake Brentz, who earned his 11th save.
A Bichette plated the Walkers second run in the second.
Carlos Vidal tallied an insurance run in the seventh when he drew a lead-off walk from Sarkis Ohanian.
A bunt from Christian Arroyo moved Vidal to second.

A ground out planted him at third.
Pinch-hitter Johan Camona's double got through, as the Walkers lead reached 5-2.

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Record: 44-20, 1st, 9 GA Springfield
Pressed into a bullpen start, Nick Lodolo allowed one run on three hits over five innings to carry St. Louis to a 4-1 win over Quad City at Wharton Fieldhouse.
The River Wallers broke on top with a pair of runs off Thunder starter Matt Ruppenthal.

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Record: 44-21, 1st, 8.5 GA Springfield
Randolph Thorne hit a three-run home run off St. Louis closer Edwin Diaz in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Quad City a 3-2 win over the River Walkers at Fenway Park (1970).
The blown save was the first of the season for Diaz and also accounted for the only runs he has allowed in 2025.
The victory allowed the Thunder to claim the finale of the three-game series after dropping both ends of a doubleheader the previous day.
The Walkers wasted a strong start from Derek Gordon, who allowed just one hit in seven shutout innings.
Jake Brentz worked a 1-2-3 ninth for St. Louis.
But Diaz allowed three straight baserunners after striking oiut Shane Shifflet to open the bottom of the ninth.
Duke Kinamon drew a walk and Nick Gonzalez singled before Thorne stepped to the plate.
The Thunder's best hitter than lined a 2-2 pitch 445 feet over the

fence in right field for his 11th homer of the season.
Evan Steele handled the first five innings for QC, allowing just one run on a Tanner Kohlhepp homer in the first. He gave up four hits overall while striking out five and walking none.
Seven relievers -- Kyle Crick (0.1 IP), John Daley (0.2), Dante Mendoza (1.0), Brenan Hanifee (1.0), Sarkis Ohanian (0.1), Trae Harmon (0.0) and Nick Goody (0.2) -- combined to shutout the Walkers the rest of the way.
Goody (1-2) came out of it with the victory.

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Record: 44-22, 1st, 8.5 GA Springfield
Nander De Sedas hit a pinch-hit home run off St. Louis starting pitcher Steven Brault with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to snap a 2-2 tie and help give Des Moines a 3-2 win at LaBatt Park.
The Harvesters had tied it at 2 an inning earlier when Cody Bellinger took Brault deep.
Des Moines starter Sixto Sanchez worked six innings, allowing two runs on four hits.

Jandel Gustave (3-1) held the River Walkers scoreless in the seventh and earned himself the win.
Omar Benitez pitched a scoreless eighth and Bryan Garcia followed suit in the ninth for his 15th save.

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Record: 45-22, 1st, 9 GA Springfield and Cedar Rapids
Jimmy Lambert limited Des Moines to a run over 7.1 innings as St. Louis defeated the Harvesters 5-1 at Labatt Park to earn a doubleheader split.
It's been a rough season for Lambert (5-6), but he probably turned in his best outing in this one allowing just one run -- on a solo homer from Jarron Silva in the sixth when it already was 5-0 -- on three hits. He struck out three and walked one.
Dan Jennings recorded the final two outs of the eighth and also out No. 1 of the ninth.
Luis Palomo allowed two hits but no runs to finish up the victory.
Tanner Kohlhepp doubled with two outs in the top of the first off Harvesters starter Chance Adams and scored when Andrew Benintendi followed with a single as the River Walkers grabbed a quick 1-0 lead.
Adams and reliever Kellan Tuilo combined to issue four walks -- Adams 3, Tuilo -- and a wild pitch in the fourth as St. Louis added two more runs.
A bases-loaded walk by Tuilo to Lambert scored the first run. He later threw a wild pitch with Bo Bichette at the place to score Austin Barnes.
Alan Dondero hit his first homer of the season in the sixth off Ronny Carvajal to make it 5-0.

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Record: 46-22, 1st, 9 GA Springfield
Down 2-0, St. Louis scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning to send the River Walkers to a 5-2 victory over Des Moines at Labatt Park.
Jean Carmona got things moving with a lead-off walk from reliever Jandel Gustave, before the next two batters were retired.
Tanner Kohlhepp then singled to put runners at first and second.
A walk to Andrew Benintendi to load the bases, Rhys Hoskins then emptied them with a double.

Yelin Rodriguez relieved Gustave and was greeted by a single from Johan Camargo, scoring Hoskins with the inning's fourth run.
An error by Rodriguez on a ball hit by Austin Barnes put runners at first and second.
A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third.
Edmond Americaan made it 5-2 with a sacrifice fly.
Walkers starter Alex Faedo allowed one run on four hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked one.
John Curtiss got the first out and Tim Hill handled the other two for a scoreless seventh inning.
Hill (2-1) would come out of it with the win.
Jake Brentz worked the eighth and got the first out of the ninth.
Closer Edwin Diaz got himself in trouble allowing a two-out double to Thairo Estrada to put runners at second and third.
But John Lehto flew out to end it, and give Diaz his 13th save.

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Record: 46-23, 1st, 8 GA Springfield
Des Moines scored three runs over the first two innings and held on for a 3-2 win over St. Louis at Labatt Park.
Cody Bellinger's 20th home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning off River Walkers starting pitcher Argenis Batista got the Harvesters off to a 2-0 lead.
An inning later it was Carson Kelly who went deep, cranking a 413 foot homer off Batista to make it 3-0.
The River Walkers' Bo Bichette hit a pair of solo homers -- in the sixth and eighth innings -- to get his team back into it.
But that was all the runs they could muster.
An injury forced Des Moines starting pitcher Nick Pivetta to exit with one out in the second inning.
That led to a parade of seven relievers to close the game out.
Jon Olsen (3-2) finished the second inning and got the game into the fifth to earn the victory.
He was followed by Kellen Tulio (1.1 IP), Leo Vazquez (0.0), Ronny Carvajal (0.2), Yelin Rodriguez (1.0), Jandel Gustave (1.0) and Bryan Garcia (1.0).
Garcia's 1-2-3 ninth earned him his 16th save.

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Record: 46-24, 1st, 7 GA Springfield
Des Moines jumped out to a 6-0 lead over the opening six innings and held on to defeat St. Louis 6-4 at Labatt Park.
The victory allowed the Harvesters to claim three out of five games in the series.
Des Moines' John Lehto opened the bottom of the first with a double off River Walkers starter Derek Gordon.
A wild pitch moved Lehto to third and he scored on a single by Alex Freeman.
Carlos Davis Rodriguez singled with one out in the second inning.
A throwing error by Gordon on a pick-off throws advanced Rodriguez to second.
He scored when Nander De Sadas doubled.
After four innings, it was 3-0 Des Moines.

Jarron Silva drew a lead-off walk from Gordon.
Silva stole second, and De Sedas was given an intentional walk with the pitcher on deck.
John Lehto chased Silva home with a single.
The Harvesters got their final three runs in the fifth.
Andrew Foley plated the first run with a single off Nick Lodolo.
Silva chased Alex Freeland across the plate on a ground out.

A Lodolo balk brought Andrew Foley across the dish.
Harvesters starting pitcher Yeo-San Park (4-2) allowed one run on six hits in 5.2 innings. He struck out five and walked none.
Kellen Tulio completed the sixth inning and recorded the first out of the seventh.
Yelin Rodriguez and Ronny Caravjal both retired four batters to seal the win.
Carvajal pitched 1.1 innings allowing one hit to earn his first save.

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Record: 47-24, 1st, 7.5 GA Springfield
Down 4-3, St. Louis scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the River Walkers to a 10-4 win over Kansas City at Busch Stadium (1997).
The Walkers banged out six hits in the inning and also benefited from a walk and an error.
The first four St. Louis batters reached base to open the inning.
The fourth batter, Bo Bichette, singled off reliever David Berg to score the inning's first run.
Darwinzon Hernandez relieved Berg and was greeted by a Carlos Vidal single, which scored a run.
Tanner Kohlhepp than found himself on base after an error by Pit Masters right fielder Josh Shuler, which also scored a run.
Andrew Benintendi than followed with a triple, which scored three runs.
Jake Woodford than got the ball for the Masters.
Jean Carmona connected on a sacrifice fly, which plated the inning's final run.
Walkers starter Steven Brault handled 6.1 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits.
John Curtiss (4-0) managed to finish off the seventh inning, setting himself up for the win.
Luis Palomo was up for the task in the eighth and ninth to seal the win.

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Record: 47-25, 1st, 7 GA Springfield
Kansas City jumped on St. Louis starting pitcher Jimmy Lambert for three two-out runs in the top of the fourth inning and rolled on to a 6-2 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win gave the Pit Masters a split of the quick two-game series.
A lead-off single from Tim Anderson, who was eliminated when Josh Shuler hit into a force play, and another single from Yordan Alvarez set things in motion against Lambert in the fourth.
Adrian Hernandez drove in the first run with a double.
Andrew Roberts followed with another two-bagger, scoring Alvarez and Hernandez.
The Masters added another run in the fifth after Greg Jones tripled and then scored on an error by first baseman Rhys Hoskins.
St. Louis would pull to within 4-2, but Kansas City would get those runs back behind solo homers from Anderson (off Luis Polomo in the seventh) and Yasmani Grandal (in the ninth off Nick Lodolo).
Pablo Lopez (5-4) allowed two runs on four hits over the first six innings.
Ryan Stanek took care of the seventh and eighth.
Austin Hansen set the River Walkers down in order in the ninth.

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Record: 48-25, 1st, 7 GA Springfield
Christian Arroyo had an RBI single and Bo Bichette tacked on a three-run homer as St. Louis scored four times in the top of the 18th inning to defeat Chicago 7-3 at Wrigley Field (1979).
The game had been tied at 3-3 since the 11th inning.
In the 11th, the River Walkers had scored in the top half of the inning after Johan Camargo had led off with a triple and scored on an Edmond Americaan sacrifice fly.
The G-Men had answered that run in the bottom of half as Petey Halpin led off with a single off Edwin Diaz.
A ground out moved Halpin to second before he stole third.
Jarred Kelenic chased Halpin home with a sacrifice fly.
In the 18th, Chicago reliever Chris Rodriguez had struck out the first two batters.
But then he lost it.
Pitcher Nick Lodolo doubled.
He moved to third on an Americaan single and when Christian Arroyo followed with another single, the Walkers led 4-3.
Bichette then broke it open with his three-run shot, a blast which traveled 377 feet over the wall in left-center.
A weary Lodolo did run into some trouble in the bottom of the 18th.
He walked lead-off hitter Logan Cerny.
Consecutive fielder's choices, with the baserunner being retired at season, had left Gleyber Torres at first.
A wild pitch planted Torres on second.
John Curtiss then replaced Lodolo, and he got Kelenic to ground out to end it.
The Walkers had forced extra innings by tying it at 2 in the eighth.
Carlos Vidal had reached on an one-out single, before moving to second on a ground out.
Andrew Benintendi scored Vidal with a double.
Eight pitchers took the mound for St. Louis, beginning with starter Alex Faedo who allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings.
Dan Jennings handled the eighth before Jake Brentz and Edwin Diaz pitched two innings apiece to get the game to the 12th.
Danny Grigg (1.1 IP), Tim Hill (1.2), Lodolo (2.2) and Curtiss (0.1) held he G-Men scoreless the remainder of the game.
The win went to Lodolo (2-0), his second of the season.

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Record: 49-25, 1st, 8 GA Springfield
With the bullpen running on fumes, St. Louis got a strong effort from starting pitcher Argenis Batista who limited Chicago two runs over 6.1 innings to help the River Walkers post a 6-2 win at Wrigley Field (1979).
Batista (9-3) allowed the two runs on four hits. He struck out four and walked two and exited after allowing a one-out RBI single to Petey Halpin in the seventh.
With runners at first and third and one out, and St. Louis leading 3-1, Luis Polomo took over and got pinch-hitter Michael Mateja to fly out for the second out.
Tim Hill then got the ball, only to allow an RBI single to Jarred Kelenic which made it 3-2.
The Walkers then decided to go to closer Edwin Diaz with Cruz Caldron and his National-League best 23 homers coming to the plate.
Diaz got him to fly out to quell the threat.
St. Louis added a trio of insurance runs in the top of the eighth to gain a comfortable lead.
Andrew Benintendi and Jean Carmona sandwiched doubles off reliever Luis Ramon Silva around an intentional walk to Rhys Hoskins to score the inning's first run.
Carlos Vidal later coaxed a bases-loaded walk, making it 5-2.
Alek Thomas chased in the inning's final run with a two-out single off Drew Steckenrider.
Dan Jennings handled the final two innings for St. Louis without allowing a run.
The River Walkers had built their 3-0 lead with single tallies in the second, fourth and fifth innings against Chicago starting pitcher Jake Mullholland, who suffered just his second loss of the season.
A bases-loaded walk to Bo Bichette in the second drove in the first run.
The fourth saw Carmona leadoff with a triple and score on an Austin Barnes sacrifice fly.
Bichette led off the fifth with a single, moved to second on an Alek Thomas bunt and scored on a throwing error by catcher Steve Williams on a ball hit by Tanner Kohlhepp.

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Record: 49-26, 1st, 8 GA Springfield
Down 3-0, Chicago put up four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning against the St. Louis bullpen to come away with a 4-3 win at Wrigley Field (1979).
The River Walkers had gone up 1-0 in the top of the fifth when Rhys Hoskins tripled off G-Men starter Luis Noguera and scored on a Jean Carmona ground out.
An inning later, it was 3-0.

Tanner Kohlhepp and Andrew Benintendi hit back-to-back doubles off Noguera to drive in runs.
St. Louis starting pitcher Derek Gordon carried a shutout into the bottom of the seventh but he quickly got into trouble.
Nolan Jones led off with a double, and when a Logan Cerny one-out single put runners at the corners, Gordon's day was finished.
John Curtiuss came on and walked Cory Acton to load the bases.
Petey Halpin followed with a single, scoring Jones and keeping the bags packed.
Curtiss struck out Luis Tuero for the second out.
But Jarred Kelenic lined a single to left-center, scoring a pair and tying the game.
Cruz Calderon followed with another single, as Halpin crossed the plate with the go-ahead run.
Jake Brentz then got the call for the Walkers.
He got Matt Wallner to fly out, but the damage had already been done.
Noguera handled the first six innings, allowing three runs on six hits.
Ben Bowden (1-0), who got the win, Tony Cebrero and James Pazos all pitched a scoreless inning each.
Pazos came out of it with his 21st save.

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Record: 49-27, 1st, 8 GA Springfield
Down 6-1, St. Louis' Edmond Americaan hit a grand slam off Chicago starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani in the top of the seventh inning, but the River Walkers would not score again as the G-Men squeaked out a 6-5 win at Wrigley Field (1979).
Victories in the final two games allowed Chicago to split the four-game series between the leaders in the National League's two divisions.
The G-Men sit at 51-24, 2.5 games in front of the Walkers, who are 49-27, for the best record in the NL.
Tied 1-1, Chicago seized command by scoring four runs between the fourth and sixth innings.
Jarred Kelenic doubled off Walkers starter Steven Brault in the fourth and scored on a Steven Williams single.
An inning later, Petey Halpin cranked a three-run homer as Chicago's advantage grew to 5-1.
The G-Men added what proved-to-be some needed insurance in the sixth after Cory Acton doubled with two outs off Brault.
He later scored when Ohtani singled off reliever Tim Hill.
Ohtani allowed a lead-off single to Andrew Benintendi in the seventh before getting Rhys Hoskins to fly out.
He then exited in favor of Tony Cebero, who was greeted by singles from Jared Thomas and Jean Carmona.
Americaan than hit his third homer of the season to draw St.Louis within a run.
The Walkers would put two runners aboard in the ninth against Ben Bowden.
But with runners at first and second, he got Americaan to hit into a double play.
Austin Barnes then grounded out to end it.
Ohtani (10-3) pitched 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter.
Cebero didn't retire a batter, as Archie Bradley had to come on to finish off the seventh.
Bowden worked two innings to collect his first save.

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Record: 50-27, 1st, 8.5 GA Springfield
Jimmy Lambert turned in a strong start in what has been an uneven season as St. Louis downed Rockford 6-1 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Lambert worked six innings, allowing one run on four hits. He struck out five and walked none.
Down 1-0, the River Walkers tied it in the bottom of the fifth inning after Jean Carmona led off with a double off Lightning starting pitcher Konnor Pilkington.
He moved to third when second baseman Willi Castro botched a popup hit by Rhys Hoskins.
Jared Thomas scored Carmona with a sacrifice fly.
The Walkers grabbed the lead an inning later after pinch-hittter Johan Camargo led off with a single off Pilkington.
A walk to Alek Thomas moved him to second.
Jean Carmona then scored Camargo with a two-out single off reliever Josh Fleming.
The Walkers broke the game open with a four-run seventh.
Bo Bichette and Alek Thomas got it started by opening the inning with consecutive doubles off Tyler Glasnow.
Carmona collected an RBI with a ground out.
Jared Thomas handled the rest of things with a three-run homer off Glasnow.
Three relievers followed Lambert to the bump.
Dan Jennings took care of the seventh.
John Curtiss notched the first two outs of the eighth.
Nick Lodolo went the rest of the way. He wound giving no runs on one hit in 1.1 innings. He struck out a pair of batters.

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