The St. Paul Saints defeated the Gary Southshore Railcats 10-5 on Sunday evening to sweep the season-opening series. It was the second straight year that St Paul has swept the opening series.
St. Paul scores early
The Saints scored first, as Alonzo Harris led off the first inning with a single to left-center field. He advanced to third when Breland Almadova singled to right field. The Saints then executed a double steal, which saw Almadova advanced to second, with Harris scoring on the throw. Willie Argo then drew a walk.
After Angelo Songco struck out, and Nate Hanson flew out, Tony Thomas stepped up and ripped a single to left field, scoring Almadova. Mike Gilmartin followed that up with a single of his own, scoring Argo and putting St Paul up 3-0.
The Saints scored again in the fourth inning when Gilmartin led off with his second hit of the game. Tanner Vavra drew a walk a couple batters later, which set up Harris for a three-run home run to left field, extending the Saints lead to 6-0.
| (St. Paul Saints)
Almadova then reached on an error but was promptly caught trying to steal second base. Argo then drew a walk, and Songco immediately drew a walk, putting two on for Hanson, who proceeded to hit a three-run home run of his own to make it a 9-0 Saints lead.
Railcats break up the no-hitter, score four runs
Saints starter John Straka did his job early, as he held the Railcats hitless until the fifth inning when the wheels started to come off. Tillman Pugh led off with a home run to left field and was followed by a single from Jose Gonzales. Alex Crosby followed with a walk, then Marquis Riley hit a single, loading the bases.
Cameron Newell and Musato Fukae both flew out, but neither was deep enough to get the run across. Matt Hibbert got one run in with a single to center. Jeremy Hamilton did the rest, as he hit a single that scored two runs, and trimmed the lead to just five runs. Jose Sermo then struck out to end the inning.
The Saints were able to tack on another run in their half of the fifth after Gilmartin led off with a walk. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third when Vavra bunted him over. Harris then drove him in with a single to left field, putting the Saints in double digits for the second night in a row. Harris also proceeded to steal second, just for good measure, but the Saints were unable to score any more runs that inning.
The Railcats tacked on a run in the eighth when Gonzales led off with a walk, followed by a single by Crosby. Riley then grounded into a fielder’s choice, allowing Gonzales to score.
That was the final run that either team would score in the game as the bullpens each went lights out from there. The Railcats did get a small rally going in the ninth, but nothing came of it, and the Saints came home winners.
QUICK HITS
- The Saints will now hit the road for a few days, as they travel to Sioux Falls for three games with the Canaries before returning home next weekend to face the Kansas City T-Bones. After that, they will take a two-week road trip to Joplin, Amarillo, Laredo, and Sioux Falls.
- The Railcats will now go to Sioux City for four games with the Explorers before their home opener next Friday against the Joplin Blasters.
- The Saints starter for Monday’s game is still a mystery, as manager George Tsamis is unsure who he will throw. He told Rob Pannier of the Minor League Sports Report that it may be a bullpen game, meaning that it would be split up by members of the bullpen.