The St Paul Saints and Sioux City Explorers are the two hottest teams in the American Association right now, and they are playing a three game series at CHS Field.

The Explorers wasted no time, as they got runners on first and second after the Saints infield could not handle a Rene Tosoni pop up. After a Brock Kjeldgaard ground out advanced the runners, Noah Perijo Jr hit a pop fly to first baseman Vinny Difazio that fell to the ground. That error allowed both runners to score, giving the Explorers a 2-0 lead.

The Saints would respond in the bottom of the inning when Steve Nikorak tripled to left center field. He would score on a VInny Difazio single to center field. That single would extend Difazio's hitting streak to 11 straight games.

The Saints had a chance in the second inning, when Joey Paciorek led off the inning with a single, he would make it to third base before being stranded after three straight groundouts to shortstop Noah Perio Jr.

The Saints would tie the game in the fourth when Angelo Sogco doubled to left field to lead off the inning. He would then score when Joey Paciorek reached on a throwing error by Perio Jr.

The Saints kept the hit parade going in the fifth inning as both Elliott and Nikorak led off the inning with back-to-back infield hits. Vinny Difazio, who was named Player Of The Week, then hit a home run to left field to give the Saints a 5-3 lead.

Sioux City scattered some hits throughout the game, but they were all erased or stranded on the bases. In the eighth, the Explorers had a minor threat as Matty Johnson got hit by a Sneed pitch, advancing him to first base. Michael Land would then advance him to second on a single to center field. The inning would end when Rene Tosoni flew out to the center fielder Mitch Elliott, who then threw out Johnson at third to end the inning.

After his defense failed him in the first, Kramer Sneed settled into a groove, giving up no more runs in eight innings of work. He gave way in the ninth to Ryan Rodebaugh, who struggled as he gave up one run before giving way to Dylan Chavez, who let another run score on a wild pitch. That would be all they would get in the ninth, as the Saints barely held on to win 5-4.

The win moves the Saints to a 25-5 record, while the Explorers drop to a 22-8 record. The teams have two games left in this series, with the second game scheduled for Tuesday at 7:05 CT. The Saints will send Jeff Shields to the mound, while Sioux City will counter with Patrick Johnson.