Tough Loss for the Buccos Against the Cardinals 
Well, folks, this one stings a bit. Our Pittsburgh Pirates fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in an extra-inning nailbiter, 3-2. Let's dive into the highlights and key moments of the game.Defensive Duel in the Early Innings
The game started as a defensive showcase with both teams keeping each other off the scoreboard. In the top of the 1st, a double play from Oneil Cruz to Nick Gonzales to Connor Joe kept the Cards from capitalizing after a leadoff walk. We had our chances too but couldn't get that first run over the plate until later.The first significant crack appeared in the top of the 2nd inning when the Cards' Dylan Carlson doubled to left to score Brendan Donovan, who had reached on an error by our pitcher. Despite this, Luis Ortiz managed to minimize the damage and kept the Cards to just one run.
Reynolds Goes Yard! 
The bottom of the 4th inning saw a flash of brilliance from Bryan Reynolds who sent a pitch deep to center for a solo homer (427 feet!) that tied the game at 1-1. It's always a treat watching him go deep and get PNC Park buzzing!Pitching Keeps Us in the Game
Props to our pitching staff for keeping the Cardinals in check. After the early error, Ortiz buckled down and our bullpen held strong. In the 5th inning, a double play turned by Oneil Cruz and Connor Joe erased a leadoff single. And in the 9th, with runners on second and third, David Bednar struck out pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter to keep the game tied going into the bottom of the ninth.Extra-Inning Drama Unfolds 
As the game moved into extra innings, the tension was palpable. The Cardinals managed to scrape two runs in the top of the 10th with Pedro Pagés and Alec Burleson driving in runs. Pedro Santana did his best to limit further damage, but the Cards still had a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom half.The Buccos' Final Push 
With our backs against the wall, Michael A. Taylor was placed at second base and moved to third on a sacrifice fly by Nick Gonzales. Ke'Bryan Hayes then lined out to right, but Jared Triolo came through with a single, followed by Joey Bart chipping in with another single to set the stage.Unfortunately, the game's final play was Andrew McCutchen grounding into a fielder's choice, effectively ending our rally and the game with a 3-2 loss. A valiant effort by our guys, but it just wasn’t enough to get over the hump this time.
Keep the Faith, Pirates Fans! 
This one hurts, but let's keep our heads up. The Pirates showed great resilience and moments of brilliance. We'll get 'em next time! Looking forward to seeing you all back at PNC Park as we continue our journey this season. Let's Go Bucs! 
Scoreboard for Cardinals @ Pirates (July 4th, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 0 |