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IL St. Paul Saints

Lights Out for Saints' Nine-Game Road Win Streak in 11-9 Loss to I-Cubs

June 27, 2024 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


DES MOINES, IA - The game had everything. A 20-minute delay in the sixth inning when the lights at Principal Park wouldn't turn on. The St. Paul Saints committing three errors. An inside-the-park home run, five total errors, the Saints squandering a 5-0 and 9-5 lead, and the game ending on a challenge. When it was all over the Saints saw their nine-game road winning streak snapped in an 11-9 loss to the Iowa Cubs on Thursday night.

The Saints jumped out to a 5-0 lead over the first three innings. Matt Wallner continued his red-hot June getting the Saints on the board in the first. With one out, Brooks Lee singled to left. Wallner then took a curveball and smacked a two-run homer to left, his 19th of the season and a Triple-A best 12th in June, giving the Saints a 2-0 lead.

Another two-run blast doubled the Saints lead in the second. With one out Will Holland extended his hitting streak to a career-high nine games with a double to left. That was followed by a two-run blast to left by Chris Williams, his fourth of the season, giving the Saints a 4-0 lead.

Yunior Severino made it 5-0 with a solo homer to left-center in the third, his 15th of the season. Severino came into Thursday night hitting .469 in June with a .600 on base percentage, both are tops in any month by any Saints player in Triple-A franchise history. His 1.350 OPS is second, only to Alex Kirilloff's 1.488 in June, 2022.

Sloppy play cost the Saints in the bottom of the fifth giving the I-Cubs three runs. Jack Reinheimer led off with a single to left. With two outs Moises Ballesteros singled off the wall in right. Matt Wallner played it perfectly, but his throw back into the infield skipped by three infielders and went into the Iowa Cubs dugout allowing a run to score and sending Ballesteros to third cutting the Saints lead to 5-1. Alexander Canario then reached on a three base fielding error by Diego Castillo at third which scored Canario making it 5-2. Owen Caissie followed with an RBI double making it 5-3.

That's when a roughly 20-minute delay occurred because they couldn't get the lights on at Principal Park. Once they got the lights on, the tide turned in the direction of the I-Cubs.

Disaster struck the Saints in the bottom of the sixth inning. BJ Murray Jr. led off the inning with a solo homer to left, his eighth of the season, cutting the lead to 5-4. With one out Reinheimer hit a ball over the head of the center fielder Holland. As he went back on the ball, Holland fell to the ground in pain and didn't get up. Reinheimer raced around the bases for an inside the park home run, his first of the season, tying the game at five. The bad news, however, was Holland left the game with an injury.

The Saints responded immediately in the seventh loading the bases when Edouard Julien led off with a single, Lee singled to left-center, and Wallner walked. Lee finished the night 3-4 with two runs scored. Severino gave the Saints a 6-5 lead with a sacrifice fly. An infield single by DaShawn Keirsey Jr. increased the lead to 7-5. After a double steal, with two outs Tony Kemp increased the lead to 9-5 with a two-run single to left.

Everything fell apart for the Saints in the bottom of the inning as the I-Cubs put up six runs to take the lead for good. Austin Brice started the inning for the Saints and walked all four batters he faced, the latter forcing in a run to make it 9-6. Nick Wittgren then took over and the first batter he faced with the bases loaded, Bryce Windham, ripped a two-run single to center cutting the Saints lead to 9-8. With runners at first and second and nobody out Reinheimer tried to lay down a bunt, but he popped it up towards the mound. Wittgren wisely let it drop at his feet and the Saints turned a double play as Wittgren fired to third and Castillo got the double play by throwing to second. Unfortunately, Hayden Cantrelle single to right and Cole Roederer gave the I-Cubs the lead for good with a three-run homer to center, his fourth of the season, making it 11-9.

The same two teams meet in game four of a six-game series at Principal Park on Friday night at 7:08 p.m. The Saints send RHP Caleb Boushley (8-1, 3.52) to the mound against I-Cubs RHP Riley Thompson (3-1, 5.68). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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