AA St. Paul Saints

Pitching Strong Again, But Saints Fall 3-2 to RedHawks in Exhibition Game

Published on May 5, 2014 under American Association (AA)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN (May 5, 2014) - Two top of the rotation starters for the St. Paul Saints got their opportunity on the mound Monday night at Newman Outdoor Field against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. Rob Coe and Nick Barnese pitched well in their season debuts despite the Saints falling 3-2 in the second exhibition game of the season.

The first four outs recorded by Coe were strikeouts and he amassed five in 3.0 innings of work. Coe's former Saints teammate from 2012, Ronnie Bourquin, greeted him rudely in the third. With one out Brandon Newton singled and Zach Penprase walked. Bourquin followed with a two-run double giving the RedHawks a 2-0 lead. Coe would finish out the third, his final of the night, allowing two runs on four hits while walking one and striking out five.

Barnese, who sat out all of last season after being plagued by a shoulder injury in 2012, looked solid in his first action in a year. After giving up a leadoff single in his first inning of work he retired the next three hitters.

In the fifth the Saints got on the board as Evan Bigley doubled and scored when Willie Cabrera singled, Bigley advanced to third and scored on an error by centerfielder Tre-Von Johnson to make it 2-1.

In the bottom of the fifth the RedHawks scored what would be the game winning run. With one out Zach Penprase singled and with two outs C.J. Retherford doubled him home to give the RedHawks a 3-1 lead. Barnese went 3.0 innings allowing one run on four hits while striking out three.

The Saints got to within a run in the sixth when Angelo Songco led off with a double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Carlos Escobar's two-out RBI single.

In the seventh, eighth and ninth the Saints would have the tying run in scoring position, but couldn't get the big hit to knock in the run. Bigley, Henry Wrigley and Escobar all collected two hits for the Saints.

Three Saints relievers, Mikey Mehlich, Ryan Bollinger and Drew Gay all tossed a scoreless inning.

The teams will wrap up their three game exhibition series on Tuesday morning at Newman Outdoor Field at 10:35 a.m.

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