Rays Jump to Early Lead 
What a game, Rays fans! The boys came out swinging in the top of the 1st inning. Yandy Díaz got us started with a single to left. Brandon Lowe followed up with a double that put Díaz on third base. Though Christopher Morel and Josh Lowe struck out, Dylan Carlson came through with a clutch single to right, scoring both Díaz and Lowe! Ben Rortvedt kept the momentum going with a double, but Jonny DeLuca unfortunately lined out to right. Still, we ended the inning up 2-0! Cardinals Strike Back 
Our 2-0 lead didn't last long. Masyn Winn walked, and then all the trouble began. Willson Contreras hit by a pitch, and Nolan Arenado singled to bring in Winn. Then, Brendan Donovan doubled, scoring Contreras and moving Arenado to third. Paul Goldschmidt grounded out but brought Arenado home, putting the Cardinals up 3-2. Lars Nootbaar grounded out to end the inning, but our lead had vanished 
.Struggles in the Middle Innings 
The middle innings were tough as neither team could get much going. Our hitters struggled to string anything together. A special shoutout to Ben Rortvedt for getting another single in the 4th and Yandy Díaz for a sacrifice fly in the 7th inning, scoring Taylor Walls. Even with these flares, we couldn't add any more runs while the Cardinals extended their lead to 4-2 in the 3rd inning thanks to Paul Goldschmidt again.Heroic Rally in the 7th Inning! 
The 7th inning was magical! Taylor Walls walked and Curtis Mead singled to put runners on the corners. Yandy Díaz hit a sac fly, scoring Walls to make it 4-3. Then the moment of glory came 
—Brandon Lowe smashed a two-run homer to center, putting us up 5-4! The crowd (and us fans at home) went wild! Insurance Run and Lockdown Pitching 
We added an insurance run in the top of the 9th. Taylor Walls hit a ground rule double, and Jose Caballero singled him in to push our lead to 6-4. Pete Fairbanks came in to close it out with a 1-2-3 inning, ensuring our victory!Final Thoughts 
What a game! A full team effort with key contributions from Brandon Lowe, Yandy Díaz, and Taylor Walls. Our pitching held up despite some shaky moments early on, especially kudos to J.P. Feyereisen and Pete Fairbanks for shutting down the Cardinals in the late innings. We're walking away with a 6-4 victory—Go Rays! 
Final Score: 6-4 (Rays Win!)
Scoreboard for Rays @ Cardinals (August 8th, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 0 |