The St. Louis Cardinals scored six runs on nine hits to hold off the Houston Astros 6-5 Sunday at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach.
St. Louis broke the game open with a four-run third inning and added two more in the fifth to build a 6-2 lead. Houston made it interesting with a three-run ninth but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Kyle Leahy opened on the mound for the Cardinals, allowing one run on one hit with three strikeouts over two innings. Mauricio Rajcic earned the win, tossing two scoreless innings without allowing a hit. Dedniel Saladin closed it out with two-thirds of an inning for the save.
Offensively, Yunior Pozo went 1-for-2 with two RBI and a double, while Caesar Prieto added two RBI. Jordan Walker and Nelvin Velazquez each reached base twice and scored twice.
For Houston, Jack Winkler provided the offensive highlight with a solo home run, his only hit of the afternoon.
St. Louis improves to 1-1 on the spring while Houston falls to 0-2.
The Cardinals return to action this afternoon, taking on the Miami Marlins in Grapefruit League play at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. First pitch is scheduled for noon local time.
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