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AA Sioux Falls Canaries

Pheasants' Offense Springs Past St. Paul

June 15, 2012 - American Association (AA)
Sioux Falls Canaries News Release


SIOUX FALLS -- The Sioux Falls Pheasants had an answer for everything the St. Paul Saints threw at them, winning a 7-5 matchup before 2,478 fans Friday night in Sioux Falls.

Cesar Nicolas tattooed a two-run homerun over the left field wall to give the Pheasants a 3-2 lead in the third inning that they never lost. It was his fourth round-tripper of the year.

The Saints jumped on Pheasants starter Mitchell Clegg (2-1) early, scoring two runs in the first inning on Willie Cabrera's single and a groundout that allowed Shane Costa to come home.

The Pheasants bounced back in the second and third innings. Al Quintana drove in Jake Taylor with an RBI single in the second inning. Nicolas' home run in the third and a wild pitch from Saints starter Robert Coe (3-2) put the Pheasants up 4-2.

"Two runs is nothing in this game," said Pheasants shortstop Cory Morales of the early 2-0 deficit. "We just try to capitalize and keep chipping away when we're down."

The two clubs traded runs over the next three innings. St. Paul answered with Cabrera's second RBI single in the foutth, making it 4-3. Sioux Falls responded with a two-run fourth inning. Morales knocked in Quintana with a double and came home by Jared Bolden's sacrifice bunt for a 6-3 lead. Yet again, the Saints came back, adding two runs in the fifth inning on Jim Rapoport's two-run single, trimming the lead to 6-5.

Morales extended the lead to 7-5 by slamming a home run to lead off the sixth. After being down 0-2 in the count, he worked it full and waited for the right pitch.

"You get a pitch that you think you can hit out or you can handle, and you hit it as hard as you can," said Morales, who was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI.

That blast by Morales was his third of the year and the Pheasants league-leading 32nd home run of the year.

Clegg earned a gritty victory for the Pheasants. He threw six innings allowing five runs, three earned, on 13 hits, striking out six while walking two. All 14 Saints hits were singles.

"He was giving up hits and wasn't as sharp as he's been but he battled and kept us in the game," said Pheasants manager Steve Shirley. "I was very pleased with how he battled through some of the situations."

The Pheasants bullpen combined to shut out the Saints in the final three innings on just two hits. Cody Evans earned his fifth save in the ninth inning, allowing one hit and nothing more.

Trevor Lawhorn was 3-for-4 in his 320th game in a Sioux Falls uniform, tying a franchise mark set by Felix Pagan.

Robert Coe (3-2) took the loss for the Saints. The Pheasants plated six runs on nine hits against Coe, who also struck out one and walked one batter.

Game two of the three-game series against St. Paul is at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, at Sioux Falls Stadium. Be one of the first 500 fans in the gates and receive a Pheasants baseball bat from Schoeneman's Lumber. Plus The Man Salon will be here to offer free massages and great deals. Kids FREE in June also continues tomorrow. Two children 12-and-under can get in free with the purchase of every regular adult-priced ticket, courtesy of Sanford Children's.

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