AP PHOTO/ SCOTT KANE
The St. Louis Cardinals earned a walk-off win in game one but couldn’t carry the momentum into the nightcap, falling 7-5 to the Kansas City Royals in a split doubleheader Thursday.
In the opener, Willson Contreras delivered a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning to lift St. Louis to a 6-5 victory. The Cardinals clawed back from a two-run deficit, with solid bullpen work keeping the game within reach before Contreras sealed it.
Game two saw the Cardinals erase an early 5-1 deficit behind Contreras and Nolan Arenado. Contreras drove in three runs, including a two-run double in the third. Arenado followed with a two-run homer to tie the game at 5-all.
But starter Matthew Liberatore (3-5) struggled, allowing a season-high seven runs on eight hits in four-plus innings before exiting with fatigue-related issues after a leadoff walk in the fifth. The Royals capitalized, adding two more runs and holding the Cardinals scoreless the rest of the way.
St. Louis managed just one hit over the final four innings.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals return home Friday to open a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. First pitch at Busch Stadium is scheduled for 7:15 with pregame coverage starting at 6:20 with Ameran Total Access. Friday’s can be heard on KTLO AM 1240.
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