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In search of positive momentum amidst an eight-game losing streak, Class AA Springfield reversed its fortunes in a dramatic way Thursday.

Cardinals prospects Cooper Hjerpe and Andrew Marrero combined for a seven-inning no-hitter to propel the S-Cards to a 5-0 road victory over Corpus Christi in Game 1 of a doubleheader.

The impressive performance marked the first no-hitter in team history for Springfield. 

"It's unbelievable to throw a no-hitter, and I honestly had no idea it was the first one in Springfield's history, so that's the cheery on top," Hjerpe said. "It's awesome to be part of something like that and pretty cool to do something of that stature." 

Hjerpe and Marrero set down 21 of the 22 Hooks' hitters they faced, with the only baserunner reaching on a two-out walk in the third inning. They struck out a combined nine hitters and benefited from errorless defense to give the S-Cards their first win since June 8. 

In just his second start since being promoted to Springfield, Hjerpe turned in his strongest outing of the season.

Hjerpe, who had not pitched past the fourth inning in any start this season, hurled a season-high five innings, striking out six and walking one. He threw 45 of his 64 pitches for strikes just one start after issuing four walks and five runs across 2⅔ innings in his Class AA debut on June 12. 

"I think establishing the fastball early, noticing that they couldn't really get on time with it as well as they should have, and so sticking with that for the most part was huge," Hjerpe said. "Being able to locate the corners and go up to change the eye level with the fastball kind of set up everything else."

Hjerpe posted his second performance of at least four hitless innings this season, also doing so with four no-hit frames against Fort Wayne in his final start for Class High-A Peoria on June 6. The Cardinals' first-round selection in the 2022 MLB draft earned his first win of the season with Thursday's effort and recorded his seventh game with at least five strikeouts. 

Springfield manager Jose Leger credited Hjerpe's ability to command the strike zone and work ahead in the count as key components to his success. The lefty jumped ahead of 10 of the first 13 hitters he faced. 

"That's been the main goal the whole year is getting ahead of hitters," Hjerpe said. "It's a game-changer. ... Being able to establish the first pitch strike is huge because it just opens up everything else for you."

In relief of Hjerpe, Marrero retired all six hitters he faced, including three via the strikeout. Marrero sealed the no-hitter with a strikeout of Zach Dezenzo, freezing the Hooks' cleanup hitter with an off-speed pitch at the bottom of the zone. 

"(Marrero) got his confidence back," Springfield manager Jose Leger said. "He (rediscovered) his fastball, and now hitters have two pitches to worry about."

The right-handed reliever, who possesses a dynamic slider, posted his sixth successive scoreless appearance. Marrero has allowed just one hit in 8â…“ innings with 10 strikeouts during that span, trimming his ERA to 5.40.

While Hjerpe and Marrero quieted Corpus Christi's offense, the bottom of the S-Cards' lineup provided the offensive momentum. Six-hole hitter Nathan Church led the effort with a 2-for-2 day, driving in one and scoring a run. First baseman R.J. Yeager and designated hitter Chandler Redmond added one RBI apiece, as Springfield totaled four hits and capitalized on seven walks by Hooks' pitchers. 

The S-Cards built upon their momentum in the second half of their doubleheader, coasting to a 4-2 victory to pick up the sweep and improve to 35-31.

Jordan Walker drills homer, reaches base three times

Looking to snap an 0-for-12 skid, Class AAA Memphis right fielder Jordan Walker broke out in an emphatic way.

Walker skied a center-cut fastball to straightaway center field for a two-run homer as part of a three-hit day in the Redbirds' 5-2 victory over Jacksonville at AutoZone Park in Memphis. The 427-foot blast marked Walker's third home run of the season, all of which have come in June. 

The 2020 first-round selection started his night with a leadoff single, which had an exit velocity of 108.9mph, in the second inning. Walker followed that up with a 427-foot home run in the fourth inning, posting an exit velocity of 109.4mph on the blast. He then added a leadoff single in the sixth inning to secure his first three-hit game of the season. 

Walker's standout play extended to the defensive end, as he picked up his fourth outfield assist of the season with a clutch throw to nab a runner at home in the top of the sixth. Locked in a 2-all tie, Walker fielded a line drive single and fired a perfect throw to home on the fly to nab Jacksonville's Tristan Gray to end the inning. 

The three-hit performance improved Walker's average to .267 and boosted his RBI total to 15 at Memphis. He is up to 15 extra-base hits, five of which have come in June, but is still searching for more consistency amidst this month. In 56 at-bats this month, Walker has posted a .232 average and .411 on-base plus slugging percentage with seven walks and 12 strikeouts. 

Willson Contreras continues rehab assignment, bullpen shows out

Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras continued his rehab assignment with Class AAA Memphis, serving as the team's designated hitter for the second time in three games.

Contreras, who is recovering from a fractured left forearm, reached base twice in his 1-for-3 performance, lacing a two-out single in the fifth inning and walking to start the eighth. He also struck out and grounded into a double play in his first two at-bats but improved to 2 for 8 at the plate across his first three rehab appearances. The fifth-inning single left Contreras' bat at 104.6mph.

It's not yet known how long Contreras' rehab assignment will extend. 

Memphis' bullpen showed out in the win, pitching four scoreless innings in relief of Zack Thompson, who allowed two runs on three hits in five innings. 

Cardinals' 26th-ranked prospect Andre Granillo pitched a scoreless eighth inning with a strikeout, and former Washington University pitcher Ryan Loutos picked up his sixth save of the season. Loutos has allowed just one run in six innings in his past six appearances for the Redbirds, improving his minor-league ERA to 1.66. 

Granillo used a four-pitch mix, led by his fastball and slider, to continue a dominant season, during which he has pitched to a 1.20 ERA across 23 games. Loutos needed just 10 pitches to navigate the ninth inning, generating a pair of whiffs on his sinker. 

Connor Thomas and Jacob Bosiokovic pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh inning, respectively. 

Ixan Henderson, Travis Honeyman lead Class Low-A Palm Beach to playoff berth

A strong performance from left-hander Ixan Henderson and a two-hit effort by Travis Honeyman propelled Class Low-A Palm Beach to a 5-2 road win over Tampa, clinching a berth to the Florida State League playoffs for a third successive season. 

Henderson scattered five hits and two runs (one earned) across 6⅔ innings, recording his second quality start in a row. The performance was Henderson's longest outing of the season, and the eighth-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft improved to 4-1 this season with a 2.53 ERA. He has yet to give up more than three runs since his second start of the season on April 17, sporting a 2.05 ERA in nine starts since then. 

Honeyman, the 10th-ranked prospect in the Cardinals' system, finished 2 for 4 with a double and one run scored. It marked the sixth multi-hit game for Honeyman in June, including his fourth since being promoted to Palm Beach. In nine games with the PB-Cards, Honeyman is up to a .286 average with six doubles and one RBI. 

Palm Beach finished the first half atop the Florida State League East with a 37-29 record, clinching a playoff berth. The PB-Cards edged out Jupiter, the Marlins Low-A affiliate, by one game to secure the automatic playoff bid, given to the first-half winners of the two divisions.