Deuce was the magic number for the Springfield Cardinals Thursday night at Hammons Field. Starter Jordan Pals won his second straight game, helping the Mavericks send a two game skid to a halt. The win brought Mid-Missouri’s second half record to 5-7. Now, the Mavericks stand just two games behind the Wichita Wranglers. Pals pitched seven innings allowing six hits, but just two runs from Tulsa. The Drillers grabbed those two runs in the seventh inning. Tulsa’s Alin Coliva lead-off the seventh with a single, then Corey Slavik nailed a two-run homer, his eighth for the season. Pals sent the next three hitters to the dugout. He capped his night striking out six and walking two. Tyler Minges flirted with the deuce and its cousin hammering out two homers and driving in four runs. Minges’ first blasted a three-run homer after Travis Hanson slipped an RBI single in the third rounding out the score at 4-0. Two batters later, Pete Zocciolillo hit his second home-run of the year. Minges fired his second homer of the game and his 14th of the season in the fifth. The home-run marked the second time Minges has homered twice in a game. It’s the third time for the Cards this year. A pinch-hit from Cody Haerther sent him to second base and sent two teammates home in the eighth. But Hearther was jammed, literally, at second base when he jammed his knee while sliding into the bag. Springfield topped the Drillers with a final tally of 9-2.
