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AA St. Paul Saints

Saints Make It Kansas City, Misery for T-Bones in Epic Five-Run Comeback to Win 10-8

July 14, 2018 - American Association (AA)
St. Paul Saints News Release


KANSAS CITY, KS - After 2.0 innings the St. Paul Saints trailed by five runs to the second highest scoring team in the American Association, the Kansas City T-Bones. In the largest comeback of the season the Saints scored seven runs in the fourth and finished it off with a 10-8 victory over the T-Bones at CommunityAmerica Ballpark for their season tying high sixth consecutive victory and fifth straight on the road. The win improves the Saints to a season tying high eight games over .500, 31-23, and improved to 3-0 on the 10-game roadtrip, maintaining their 1.0 game lead in the North Division.

With the Saints trailing 7-2 in the fourth the Saints began the inning with three straight walks to Burt Reynolds, Brady Shoemaker, and Zach Walters. After Justin O'Conner fouled out, Dante Bichette Jr. made it 7-3 with an RBI single to left-center. Nathaniel Maggio walked with the bases loaded to make it 7-4. Anthony Phillips' sacrifice fly scored Walters to make it 7-5. Max Murphy singled to left loading the bases and Kyle Barrett extended his hitting streak to 10-games with a two-run single to right-center tying the game at seven. Reynolds gave the Saints the lead with an RBI single to center making it 8-7. Brady Shoemaker finished the seven-run inning with an RBI ground rule double to right making it 9-7.

The bullpen was unbelievable after that picking up for starter Ryan Zimmerman who lasted just 2.0 innings. A night after the Saints had to go bullpen by committee, they asked for 7.0 innings out of their pen on Saturday night and they got it. Ryan Schlosser pitched 2.0 perfect innings striking out one and would get credited with the victory.

Ken Frosch pitched 1.2 hitless innings while walking one and striking out two. He still hasn't given up a run all season and has gone 23.0 consecutive scoreless innings, the second longest in franchise history only behind Caleb Thiebar's 29.2 in 2011. Frosch left the game after walking Dylan Tice and with a 2-2 count on former Major Leaguer Todd Cunningham. He had ripped two long foul balls and manager George Tsamis elected to take Frosch out for Beck Wheeler. He struck out Cunningham on his first pitch to end the inning.

Wheeler would go 1.1 perfect innings and strike out three. The only blemish on the night for the bullpen came with Andrew Thome in the eighth. With the Saints leading 10-7 following an RBI broken bat single by Shoemaker in the top of the inning, Thome walked Adrian Nieto to lead off the inning. He got Keith Curcio to ground into a fielder's choice, but then gave up back-to-back singles to Dexter Kjerstad and Mason Dixon to load the bases. Thome departed for Mike Devine, who got Tice to hit a sacrifice fly and then Cunningham to ground out to end the inning with the Saints up two.

In the ninth Devine gave up a one out broken bat single to Nick Torres, but struck out former Saint Noah Perio Jr. and ended the game by getting Nieto to ground out to second. Devine earned his second save of the season going 1.2 shutout innings. In total the bullpen went 7.0 innings allowing one run on three hits while striking out eight.

The Saints jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first on a Reynolds two-run homer, his 13th of the season, and ninth in 17 games with the Saints.

The T-Bones tied it in the bottom of the first when Tice led off with a walk and Cunningham tripled him home. The relay throw by Walters got by Bichette Jr. at third allowing Cunningham to score and tie the game.

In the second the T-Bones scored five runs getting an RBI single from Cunningham, a sacrifice fly by Colin Walsh, a two-run homer from Torres, his fourth, and an RBI double by Nieto.

The same two teams meet in the finale of the four game series on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. The Saints send RHP Trevor Foss (1-0, 1.35) to the mound against T-Bones RHP Tommy Collier (4-3, 4.41). The game can be heard on Alt 93.3 FM.

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