Saints Homers Sink Birds in Series Opener
August 21, 2018 - American Association (AA)
Sioux Falls Canaries News Release
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Five St. Paul Saints home runs, including two from Dante Bichette, Jr., were too much for the Sioux Falls Canaries on Monday night. The Birds dropped the series opener 9-5 at Sioux Falls Stadium.
The Saints' home run total is the most Canaries pitching has allowed in one game all season.
The scoring started in the second, when Bichette hit his first home run of the night off Birds starter Miles Nordgren. The two-run blast gave the Saints an early 2-0 lead.
Nordgren allowed two more homers in the third, starting with a three-run longball from Brady Shoemaker. It was his 12th round-tripper of the season, and fourth against the Canaries.
Two batters later, Bichette knocked a solo shot out of the yard to make it 6-0 Saints. It was his ninth blast of the year.
Saints starter Eddie Medina allowed only two baserunners in the first three innings, but the Birds broke through in the fourth. A groundout from Jabari Henry scored Mitch Glasser to make it 6-1.
The next batter, Jeff Malm, knocked in David Bergin with an RBI single to cut the deficit to four. Bergin had reached on a dropped third strike earlier in the inning.
Nordgren left the game after six innings. He allowed six runs on five hits, walking two and striking out six. The six K's tied his season high.
Will LaMarche relieved Nordgren in the seventh, and ran into trouble early. The first batter he faced, Justin O'Conner, roped a line-drive homer to left to make it 7-2.
Two batters later, Max Murphy followed O'Conner up with a solo shot of his own, giving St. Paul an 8-2 lead.
Medina threw seven innings of two-run ball for St. Paul. He allowed five hits and two walks while striking out eight.
The Birds got one back in the eighth when Patrick Fiala scored Jabari Henry on a fielders' choice.
A sacrifice fly from Nathaniel Maggio to score Shoemaker made it 9-3 Saints headed into the ninth.
David Bergin knocked a two-run triple to right to give the Birds their last runs of the game. It was Bergin's first triple since July of 2017, when he played for Winnipeg.
Jabari Henry struck out to end the game.
ON DECK
Game two of the series between St. Paul and Sioux Falls is set for Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. Dylan Thompson will start for Sioux Falls; Ryan Zimmerman will get the nod for the Saints. Birds fans can bring a non-perishable food item to the game to receive two-for-one tickets.
• Discuss this story on the American Association message board...
American Association Stories from August 21, 2018
- Railroaders Falter Late in Loss to Texas - Cleburne Railroaders
- AirHogs Even Series in Cleburne - Texas AirHogs
- Canaries Honor 'Doc' Edwards Before Game with Saints - Sioux Falls Canaries
- American Association Game Recaps - AA
- Saltdogs Lose to T-Bones Despite Bircher's Herculean Effort - Lincoln Saltdogs
- Simpson's Walk-Off Blast Sends Wingnuts to Win - Wichita Wingnuts
- Saints Know How to Spell R-E-L-I-E-F with 6-4 Victory over Canaries - St. Paul Saints
- Dogs Drop Both Legs of Twin Bill by Identical 5-1 Margins - Chicago Dogs
- Goldeyes Rally Late, But Fall in Ninth - Winnipeg Goldeyes
- Cats sweep Tuesday doubleheader against Dogs with pair of 5-1 wins - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- T-Bones Lick the Saltdogs - Kansas City Monarchs
- RailCats Sign OF Cortez to First American Association Contract - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- Big Second for RedHawks Leads to Win over X's - Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
- Saints Homers Sink Birds in Series Opener - Sioux Falls Canaries
- Five Run Third Leads Fargo to Win - Sioux City Explorers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Sioux Falls Canaries Stories
- Canaries Release 2024 Schedule
- Manager Mike Meyer, Canaries Agree to Extension
- Meyer Named Manager of the Year
- Canaries' Season Ends in Kansas City
- Birds Drop Postseason Opener
