ST. PAUL, Minn. – The St. Paul Saints picked up their second win of the season on Friday night as they defeated the Gary SouthShore Railcats 2-1 at CHS Field behind a solid pitching performance from Eric Veglahn and a seventh-inning double from Tanner Vavra.
The Railcats struck right away in the top of the first inning when Chase Harris drew a leadoff walk. He advanced to second on a stolen base, advanced to third on an infield single from Anthony Cheky Jr., and scored when Frank Martinez hit into a fielder’s choice to put the Railcats up 1-0. Alex Crosby popped out to first base to end the scoring chance.
The Saints tied the game in the bottom of the second when Tony Thomas drew a leadoff walk of his own. He advanced to second on an Anthony Gallas single and scored from there when Tony Caldwell ripped a double off the right field wall. They were unable to tack anymore on, however, as Jon Kristoffersen struck out and Vavra grounded out to second base to end the inning.
That was all the scoring for a while, as both pitchers put up zeroes. Veglahn ended up finishing the night after five innings, giving up just the one run while getting three strikeouts. Alex Gunn, his counterpart on the mound, was equally as good, as he also went five innings, giving up just the one run but only getting two strikeouts.
The game was turned over to the bullpens at that point, and the Saints bullpen outpitched the Railcats. The only other run came in the seventh inning when Vavra hit a one-out double to right field, advanced to third on a single to left by Danny Oh, and scored when Breland Almadova hit into a fielder’s choice. The inning ended when Almadova was thrown out trying to steal second base.
The Saints took that 2-1 lead into the top of the ninth inning when they brought Seth Rosin into the game to try and get the save. The first batter that he faced was Andy DeJesus, who struck out swinging. He was followed by pinch-hitter John Holland, who flew out to center field for the second out. Harris then stepped up to the plate and singled to left field, and ended up stealing second base before Reggie Wilson struck out looking to end the game.
Quick Hits
- Rosin, a native of Mounds View, Minn., picked up his second save in as many games for the Saints. He has major league experience, throwing six innings in the big leagues over two seasons. He first reached the majors in 2014 when he appeared in three games for the Texas Rangers, picking up a win while allowing six runs and striking out three. His second appearance was in 2015 when he pitched in one game for the Philadelphia Phillies, giving up five runs in two innings.
The teams will play game three of the series on Saturday night when the Saints are scheduled to send RHP John Straka (0-0) to the mound. The Railcats will counter with LHP Jeff McKenzie (0-0).
Game Summary
Win – Ken Frosch (1-0)
Loss – Drasen Johnson (0-1)
Save – Seth Rosin (2)
Player of the game – Tanner Vavra (1-3, 1 run scored)