SPRINGFIELD, Mo. • Thanks to some late-arriving offense (and some help from the competition) the Cardinals beat Class AA Springfield 5-2 in Friday night's exhibition at Hammons Field, claiming Route 66 Rumble bragging rights before they head back to St. Louis for Sunday's season opener at Busch Stadium.
Springfield threatened in the ninth inning, putting runners on third and first with two outs, but Dakota Hudson earned a fly out to end the game. Hudson, who will be a part of Springfield's rotation this season, switched to the Cardinals' side during the game.
Matt Adams' RBI double scored the Cardinals' final run.