I-Cubs Rally Late to Topple Saints
June 9, 2023 - International League (IL)
Iowa Cubs News Release
ST. PAUL, MN - The Iowa Cubs (33-26) saved their best for last as a five-run ninth inning gave them the come from behind win over the St. Paul Saints (35-25) by a score of 7-5 on Friday night from CHS Field.
It didn't take long for the scoring to start as Yonathan Perlaza took the second pitch of the game over the left field fence to put Iowa ahead, 1-0. The lead for the I-Cubs was short lived, however. After a pair of singles by Andrew Stevenson and Jose Miranda put runners on the corners, Joey Gallo knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly to knot the game up at 1-1 after one inning of play.
In the next frame, St. Paul jumped out in front with a solo shot by Mark Contreras. Over the course of the middle innings a pitchers duel broke out between Iowa starter Caleb Kilian and Saints starter Brent Headrick. The counterparts had their stuff working on the mound as no runs were scored in the third, fourth, and fifth innings.
The Saints then broke the game open in the sixth inning with another long ball. Andrew Bechtold got the better of Kilian and sent a three-run home run over the center field wall, which pushed the St. Paul lead to 5-1.
The I-Cubs weren't done yet, however. The comeback effort started when Jared Young cut Iowa's deficit down to three in the seventh inning with a home run. Nelson Velazquez kept the rally alive when he knocked in a run in the top of the ninth to make it 5-3 ballgame. Jake Slaughter then came through with a clutch two-RBI ground rule double to tie the game at 5-5 and Sergio Alcántara followed with a two-RBI single to give Iowa the lead, 7-5.
The Saints threatened with two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, but Cam Sanders shut the door on any walk-off opportunity for St. Paul to seal the comeback victory.
POSTGAME NOTES:
- Yonathan Perlaza's home run was his sixth of the season and the first time he has hit a leadoff homer this year. It was the first leadoff home run for Iowa since Darius Hill went yard against Nashville on May 23.
- With his home run, Jared Young has now hit safely in 14 of his last 19 games and extended his current hitting streak to five games.
- Cam Sanders tossed three scoreless innings and allowed just one hit to go along with five strikeouts in Iowa's comeback effort. Sanders earned the win for his efforts and improved his record to 3-0 on the year. Sanders also tied his season-high for strikeouts in a game.
Iowa and St. Paul will play game six of their seven-game series tomorrow from CHS Field, with first pitch slated for 7:07 pm. You can listen to all Iowa Cubs games on Hope AM940 and stream them for free on the Bally Live App. For more information and tickets, visit www.iowacubs.com.
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