Pirates vs Cardinals Recap: Ozuna, Lowe pace Pittsburgh romp

The Pirates came to St. Louis looking to stay hot. They had just beaten the Cardinals 7-0 the night before, and now it was Thursday at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals were hungry to bounce back. Pittsburgh's Brandon Lowe stepped to the plate in the first inning against Cardinal starter Dustin May. May threw a 98-mile-per-hour fastball right down the middle. Lowe's bat met it perfectly. The ball rocketed over the left field wall and into the stands. Just like that, Pittsburgh led 1-0. The Pirates' power game was already rolling. St. Louis answered back in the third inning when catcher Ivan Herrera crushed a solo homer to left-center field. The ball traveled 408 feet. That made it 1-1. Both teams were swinging hard early.

The game changed fast in the sixth inning. Pittsburgh's Marcell Ozuna stepped up and hit a single to left field. That brought two runners home. The Pirates suddenly led 3-1. Then came the seventh inning. Henry Davis walked to the plate against Cardinal reliever Justin Bruihl. Davis swung and connected. His home run flew 375 feet to left field. Pittsburgh was up 5-1 now. The crowd at Busch Stadium went quiet. Bryan Reynolds grounded out to shortstop next, but another Pirates run scored. The ball was in the air now. Pittsburgh kept hitting. Braxton Ashcraft, the Pirates' starting pitcher, was dominant on the mound. He struck out nine batters over seven innings. St. Louis couldn't catch up to Pittsburgh's power.

The Pirates' offense was unstoppable. They had five runs by the seventh inning. St. Louis scored once more in the eighth when Jordan Walker singled to left and Ivan Herrera scored. The final score was Pittsburgh 6, St. Louis 2. The Pirates had now won two straight games against the Cardinals and took the series. Braxton Ashcraft earned the win for Pittsburgh. He pitched 7 strong innings and allowed just one run. Dustin May took the loss for St. Louis. The Pirates improved to 26-24 on the season. They won on the road with power hitting and stellar pitching. The Cardinals fell to 28-21. Pittsburgh's winning streak continued. Henry Davis, the young catcher, showed he could deliver power when his team needed it most. The Pirates' bats kept the Cardinals' pitchers in trouble all night long.