Rain Halts Saints' Comeback Attempt in 8-7 Loss in 8 Innings

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Rain Halts Saints' Comeback Attempt in 8-7 Loss in 8 Innings

July 11, 2025 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - The St. Paul Saints had just hit a home run to pull within a run. That's when Mother Nature decided to step in as heavy rain halted play. The Saints had their three-game winning streak snapped in an 8-7, eight inning loss to the Iowa Cubs on Friday night at CHS Field in front of 6,667.

Iowa Cubs starter Kenta Maeda had given up 19 first inning runs in his nine starts and the Saints took advantage of that. Austin Martin led off with a single to center. With two outs Edouard Julien hit a mammoth home run to right, a 428-foot blast, his second in as many games and ninth of the season, giving the Saints a 2-0 lead.

The bottom of the I-Cubs order got them on the board in the second. With one out Chase Strumpf doubled to right-center, moved to third on an infield single to third by Dixon Machado, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Darius Hill cutting the Saints lead to 2-1.

The Saints got the run back in the bottom of the inning as they loaded the bases. Emmanuel Rodriguez reached on an infield single to second. With one out back-to-back singles by Patrick Winkel and Will Holland loaded them up. Martin made it 3-1 with an RBI single to left.

The wheels came off for the Saints pitching in the fifth as the I-Cubs plated seven and it started with two outs and nobody on. Carlos Pérez started it by getting hit by a pitch from Randy Dobnak. Three straight singles from Christian Franklin, James Triantos, and Chase Strumpf, the last two plating a run to tie the game at three, chased Dobnak from the game. Kyle Bischoff came in and walked the first two hitters he faced, with the latter forcing in a run giving the I-Cubs a 4-3 lead. Greg Allen's two-run single to right increased the lead to 6-3. An infield single by Moises Ballesteros scored another run making it 7-3. Two more walks by Bischoff plated a run increasing the lead to 8-3. Bischoff left the game without recording an out and Michael Tonkin finally ended the inning striking out Franklin.

The Saints finally knocked Maeda out in the sixth inning. The first three hitters all reached on singles from Julien and Aaron Sabato, and an RBI double from Rodriguez getting the Saints to withing 8-4. After a pitching change, Patrick Winkel's RBI groundout made it 8-5. Will Holland then reached on a two base throwing error by third the baseman Strumpf that allowed Rodriguez to score getting the Saints to within two at 8-6.

Jose Miranda came through with a solo homer in the eighth, his fourth of the season, making it a one run game at 8-7. But with the count 2-0 on the next hitter, Winkel, it started to rain heavily and after about 30-minutes the game was called.

The same two teams meet in game five of a six-game series on Saturday night at CHS Field at 6:37 p.m. The Saints send RHP Connor Gillispie (3-1, 6.4) to the mound against I-Cubs RHP Ben Brown (0-0, 2.25). The game can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities, MLB.TV, MiLB.TV, and the Bally Live app, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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