ST PAUL, Minn. -- The St. Paul Saints took advantage of walks to defeat the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks on Saturday night at CHS Field in front of 9,268 fans.
Redhawks score first
The Redhawks got on the board first, as K.D. Kang led off the game with a single to left. He advanced to second when Ryan Pineda walked, and Kang came around to score when Brian Humphries singled to center field. The Redhawks tacked on another when Dustin Geiger singled to score Pineda and give them a 2-0 lead.
St. Paul scores three in the third
The Saints responded in the bottom of the third, as they took advantage of eleven walks from Fargo starter Cody Scarpetta, who was on the Saints roster earlier this season. Tony Thomas started with a one-out walk. which was followed by Nate Hanson drawing a walk. Willie Argo followed with a walk to load the bases for Aaron Gretz, who also walked, allowing Thomas to score.
At that point, Fargo manager Doug Siminic removed Scarpetta from the game in favor of Jose Almarante, who finished the inning, although he allowed two more runs to score, giving the Saints a 3-2 lead.
Ryan Rodebaugh picks up the save
That was the score in the ninth when the Saints brought in closer Ryan Rodebaugh to finish the game. Geiger was the first batter he faced, and he struck him out. Kes Carter followed with a single to right field, but Luke Bailey followed with a strikeout, and Bryan Johns grounded out to end the game and give the Saints yet another victory.
The win moves the Saints to a season record of 40-16, and keeps them in first place, with a 10 game lead over the Winnipeg Goldeyes, who are second in the American Association North Division.
Quick Hits
- Johnson went 5 2/3 innings in just his second start with the Saints. He gave up just two runs on three hits while striking out two batters. Manager George Tsamis was pleased after the game, saying "He pitched great. He has been a good arm to have on the staff, and we anticipate that he will be around for a while."
- Alonzo Harris singled in the fourth inning to extend his hit streak to 11 games, the second-longest of the season for the Saints. Tony Thomas had a 26 game streak earlier this season, which is second-longest in franchise history.
- The two teams will finish the series on Sunday evening when the Saints will send RHP John Straka (7-2, 5.18) to the mound, while the Redhawks will counter with RHP Taylor Stanton (3-4, 4.02)