Ivan Herrera’s three-run home run in the bottom of the 10th lifted the host St. Louis Cardinals to a 9-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.
Herrera’s three-run home run — a 410-foot blast to left center field — off Pirates reliever Mason Montgomery (1-1) was the fourth home run of the game for the Cardinals, who won for the fourth time in their past five games and dealt the Pirates their fourth consecutive loss.
Nolan Gorman, JJ Wetherholt and Alec Burleson all hit home runs as well.
Herrera’s heroics followed a single by Wetherholt that put runners at the corners and advanced the ghost runner, Victor Scott II, to third.
George Soriano (2-0) retired the Pirates in order in the top of the 10th, stranding Brandon Lowe at second.
The Pirates trailed 6-4 heading into the top of the ninth before loading the bases with no outs on Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien. Marcell Ozuna grounded into a double play, which allowed Nick Gonzales to score. Spencer Horwitz then tied the game with a two-out single to score Konnor Griffin.
Gorman’s go-ahead, two-run home run off Pirates reliever Evan Sisk with two outs in the bottom of the sixth came after Pittsburgh rallied from a 3-0 deficit with four runs in the top of the fifth, highlighted by a game-tying two-run double by Bryan Reynolds and a go-ahead RBI single by Oneil Cruz.
But the Cardinals started their comeback when Pirates starter Mitch Keller hit Burleson with a pitch with one out. Two batters later, Sisk replaced Keller and surrendered the 437-foot blast to center field by Gorman.
Matthew Liberatore started for the Cardinals and struck out nine. But Liberatore lasted only 4 2/3 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks.
The Pirates loaded the bases with one out in the fifth and Lowe scored their first run on a wild pitch by Liberatore, who then struck out Griffin.
But Reynolds leveled the game by belting a ball to left field to score Jared Triolo and Gonzales. After Ozuna walked, Cruz drove in Reynolds.
Keller went 5 2/3 innings, allowed four runs on four hits and one walk and struck out three.
–Field Level Media
