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Saints Give up Five in Eighth, Drop Fourth Straight 7-2
April 19, 2024 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Simeon Woods Richardson tossed 5.0 solid innings and Tony Kemp hit his first Minor League home run since 2017, but it was a five-run eighth inning that did in the St. Paul Saints as they dropped their fourth straight losing 7-2 to the Indianapolis Indians on Friday night at Victory Field.
With the game tied at two in the bottom of the eighth it all unraveled for the Saints. With the top of the order up for the Indians, Ji Hwan Bae led off with a walk. Nick Gonzalez followed with an infield single to short and Yasmani Grandal walked to load the bases. A sacrifice fly from Jake Lamb scored Bae giving the Indians their first lead at 3-2. Malcom Nuñez then came through with an RBI single to left increasing the lead to 4-2. Canaan Smith-Njigba walked to load the bases. After a strikeout, Grant Koch reached on catcher's interference that forced the run home increasing the lead to 5-2. After a pitching change, Matt Gorski lined a two-run single to left-center to put the finishing touches on the five-run inning for the 7-2 lead, which turned out to be the final.
The unlikeliest source gave the Saints the early lead with a home run. Tony Kemp, who, had just 25 Minor League home runs in 2191 at bats, delivered with a solo homer to right, his first of the season, giving the Saints a 1-0 lead.
Woods Richardson, making his first start with the Saints since his first Major League win on April 13, pitched a perfect first before the Indians tied it in the bottom of the second. With two outs and nobody on Smith-Njigba doubled to left. After Sergio Alcántara walked, Koch lined an RBI single to right, tying the game at one.
The team leader in RBI gave the Saints the lead in the fourth. Max Kepler led off the inning with a walk and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. roped an RBI double to left-center putting the Saints back on top, 2-1. Kepler played seven innings in right on Friday night and went 0-2 with a walk.
The top of the Indians order has given the Saints trouble in the series and that continued in the fifth. With two outs Bae singled to left-center and Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 11 with an RBI double over the head of Matt Wallner in left tying the game at two. Woods Richardson went 5.0 innings allowing two runs on six hits while walking one and striking out four.
The same two teams meet in game five of the six-game series on Saturday night at 5:35 p.m. (CT). The Saints send RHP Caleb Boushley (1-1, 7.20) to the mound against Indians LHP Michael Plassmeyer (1-2, 8.62). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.
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