AA St. Paul Saints

Disastrous Seventh Costs Saints in Loss to Canaries

July 11, 2017 - American Association (AA)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN (July 10, 2017) - For six innings the St. Paul Saints and Sioux Falls Canaries battled in a well-pitched, well-played game. Then with two outs in the seventh inning everything fell apart for Saints pitching, giving up five runs, as they lost 7-4 on Monday night at CHS Field in front of 7,589. With the loss the Saints fell to 30-19 and their lead in the North dropped to 4.0 games.

With the game tied at two in the top of the seventh Saints starter Jason Creasy retired the first two guys in the inning. Then former Saints catcher Aaron Gretz doubled to left-center. After a walk to Dan Motl, Creasy, after 120 pitches, 80 for strikes, departed for Brandon Peterson. He would struggle with his control as he walked Brett Marr to load the bases and then walked Jabari Henry to force in the go ahead run, making it 3-2. Ty Morrison then drove home two with a single, making it 5-2. Chris Jacobs walked to load the bases. Burt Reynolds made it 7-2 with a two-run double. Peterson failed to record an out in facing five batters giving up two hits while walking three. The newest Saints pitcher, Jason Hoppe, took over for Peterson and, after hitting Blake Schmit, struck out Louis Mele to end the inning. Hoppe would pitch 1.1 hitless, shutout innings of relief while fanning two.

The Saints tried to make a game of it in the eighth when Brady Shoemaker was hit by a pitch and Anthony Gallas blasted a two-run homer to right, his 12th of the season, but the Saints couldn't get another base runner the rest of the night.

Through six innings it was a tightly played game with the Saints getting on the board first in the second. Tony Thomas, who went 3-4 with a run scored and a stolen base, singled to left. He stole second and, with two outs, Jon Kristoffersen knocked him home to make it 1-0.

The Canaries tied it in the fourth when Morrison doubled and, with two outs, Schmit knocked him home with a single.

The teams traded runs in the sixth as Chris Jacobs took back the home run lead from Wichita's Matt Chavez with a solo homer to right, his 15th of the season, giving the Canaries a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the inning Gallas singled with one out and stole second. Thomas' single to left sent Gallas to third. Kes Carter then hit a ground ball to the left of the second baseman Marr. He made a diving play, got up, but his throw to second went into shallow left as Gallas scored and Thomas went to third on the single and error. With runners at the corners and one out Maxx Garrett struck out, Carter went to steal second and the catcher Gretz faked the throw to second and fired to third to double up a leaning Thomas.

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