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IL St. Paul Saints

Saints Come up Short in Losing Fourth Straight, 7-4 to Clippers

May 12, 2022 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


COLUMBUS, OH - There would be no ninth inning comeback on Thursday afternoon by the St. Paul Saints. The team losing entering the ninth inning in the first two games came back to tie it up. Despite making a little noise in the ninth, the Saints fell short 7-4 to the Columbus Clippers at Huntington Park.

The Clippers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second as Alex Call got it started with a one out single to center. With two outs, David Fry made it 1-0 with an RBI double to left-center. Mike Rivera then hit a fly ball towards left that Kevin Merrell ran after, but had the ball bounce in and out of his glove for a two base error that allowed a run to score. Merrell's throw into the infield skipped away from the cutoff man as Rivera took third on the throwing error. Richie Palacios made the Saints pay for the miscue dumping an RBI single into left field.

The Saints got three runs of their own in the fifth also using an error to extend the inning. Caleb Hamilton led off with a single to left-center. Kevin Merrell followed by reaching on second baseman Richie Palacios' error, putting runners at first and second. A fly out advanced Hamilton to third. Ernie Yake's RBI fielder's choice got the Saints on the board and cut the deficit to 3-1. Jermaine Palacios sent a double down the right field line putting runners at second and third. Elliot Soto extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a two-run single to right tying the game at three.

It didn't stay tied for long as the Clippers regained the lead in the fifth. Tyler Freeman led off by being hit by a pitch. With one out, Oscar Gonzalez doubled him home giving the Clippers a 4-3 lead.

The Clippers added an insurance as Richie Palacios led off the inning with a single to right. With one out Yu Chang doubled him home making it 5-3.

The Clippers put the game out of reach with two in the eighth. With two on and two outs, back-to-back RBI singles by Richie Palacios and Freeman put the Clippers up by four.

In the ninth Derek Fisher led off with a walk. Hamilton hit a soft lineout to second and Fisher was doubled up as he got caught too far off the bag and slipped trying to go back to first. Kevin Merrell kept the inning alive and took second on defensive indifference. Roy Morals singled home Merrell cutting the deficit to three. The Saints wouldn't send the tying run to the plate, however, as Yake struck out to end the game.

The same two teams meet in game four of a six-game series on Friday night at 6:05 p.m. (CT) at Huntington Park. The Saints send RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-0, 0.00) against LHP Adam Scott (1-0 3.38). The game can be seen on MiLB.TV and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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