IL St. Paul Saints

Bullpen Does Job, Season High 13 Hits Help Saints Split Doubleheader with 8-5 Game Two Win

April 8, 2023 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - The St. Paul Saints stormed out to a 5-0 lead after the first inning only to see the Iowa Cubs tie it in the second. But it was Dereck Rodríguez who calmed things down out of the bullpen and the offense continued to swing the bats with a season high 13 hits in an 8-5 victory on Saturday afternoon in game two of the doubleheader at CHS Field in front of 5,038.

Early on in game two the teams traded five run innings. The Saints struck first with five in the bottom of the first. Edouard Julien led off the inning with a single to center. With one out, Mark Contreras reached on a fielding error by the second baseman David Bote. Tyler White drew a walk to load the bases. Andrew Stevenson gave the Saints a 2-0 lead with a two-run double to left-center. Hernán Pérez' RBI groundout increased the lead to 3-0. Chris Williams then tripled in Stevenson when left fielder Jared Young and center fielder Mike Tauchman collided as the ball went in and out of Tauhcman's glove, making it 4-0. Andrew Bechtold finished the scoring with an RBI single to center giving the Saints a 5-0 lead.

In the top of the second, however, the I-Cubs answered off Saints starter Randy Dobnak. A leadoff single by Yonathan Perlaza, a walk to Young, and a one out walk to Bryce Windham loaded the bases. Christopher Morel's single to center plated two, cutting the Saints lead to 5-2. With two outs, Matt Mervis walked and Nelson Velázquez plated two with a single to right making it 5-4. With runners at the corners, Velázquez stole second and throw down to second by Williams went into center field allowing Mervis to score tying the game at five.

The Saints responded in the bottom of the inning on back-to-back singles by Kyle Garlick and Contreras. With two outs, Pérez singled home Garlick to pull the Saints back in front 6-5.

They added to the lead in the third as Andrew Bechtold led off the inning with a solo homer to left, his first of the season, giving the Saints a 7-5 lead. With one out, Julien doubled down the first base line and then scored on an RBI single to right-center by Garlick making it 8-5.

Rodríguez did the rest for the Saints on the mound. After recording the final out in the second, he retired the side in order in the third. Despite putting the first two runners aboard in the fourth with a single and walk, he got the next three hitters. In all, Rodríguez went 4.1 shutout innings allowing two hits while walking three and striking out four.

Patrick Murphy made his season debut and was impressive in picking up the save as he retired the side in order in the seventh while picking up two strikeouts.

The same two teams meet in the finale of the five-game series on Sunday afternoon at 2:07 p.m. The Saints send RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (NR) to the mound against I-Cubs RHP Caleb Kilian (0-0, 30.86). The game can be seen on the CW Network and MiLB.TV and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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International League Stories from April 8, 2023


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