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AA St. Paul Saints

Saints Alive and Well in 11-8 ComeBack Win

August 26, 2009 - American Association (AA)
St. Paul Saints News Release


GRAND PRAIRIE (August 26, 2009) - The pulse of the St. Paul Saints just got a little livelier because while the Lincoln Saltdogs lost their third straight game on Wednesday night, the Saints came back from a 5-0 deficit to defeat the Grand Prairie AirHogs 11-8 at QuickTrip Park and now trail the Saltdogs by 2.0 games with four left in the season.

With the Saints trailing 5-0 in the top of the fourth the come back began. Jeff Eure led off with a single and moved to second on a passed ball. With one out Scott Knazek walked and Steve Butler followed with a bunt single. Pitcher Dimitri Camareno's throw to first went awry allowing Eure to score. Alex Fonseca followed with an infield single to second and Daniel Berg's throw to first was wide which allowed Knazek to score and make it 5-2. Josh Alley made it 5-4 with a two-run single.

In the bottom of the fourth the Saints went to their bullpen as Todd Mathison, who started four days ago, took over for Mark Moriarty. He would allow an unearned run in the inning, but was masterful after that.

With the Saints trailing 6-4 in the top of the fifth the Saints tied the ball game up. Jacob Butler led off with a walk and with one out Anthony Norman drilled a two-run homer over the right field wall off lefty reliever Vinnie DeChristofaro, who had not allowed a home run all season.

The Saints finished the comeback and took the lead in the sixth as Brent Krause led off by being hit by a pitch. With two outs, he stole second and third and Eure reached on a hit by pitch as well. Norman followed with a walk to load the bases and a walk to Knazek forced in a run to give the Saints a 7-6 lead. Steve Butler then lined a single into right to make it 8-6.

The Saints continued to add to their lead in the eighth as Eure and Norman led off with walks. Knazek sacrificed the two runners over and with two outs Fonseca drove home both runs with a single to center.

Krause finished off the scoring by homering in the ninth, a solo shot his 11th of the season.

Mathison picked up the win going 5.2 innings allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits while walking three and striking out two. The two runs he gave up came on a two out, two-run triple in the bottom of the ninth.

Every Saint collected a hit, with the exception of Knazek who walked three times. Fonseca, Alley and Krause all collected three hits.

The Saints head home for game one of a four game series against the Sioux City Explorers that begins on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. at Midway Stadium. The Saints send RHP Mitch Wylie (7-7, 4.21) to the mound against Explorers RHP Mike Phelps (2-1, 2.35). It is "If You Build It...75 Years of Legos." The game can be seen on the Saints Cable Network (check saintsbaseball.com for the channel in your area) and heard on Relevant Radio 1330.

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American Association Stories from August 26, 2009


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