Friday night is usually fireworks night in St. Paul, but Saturday night had fireworks occurring on the field as the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks and St. Paul Saints combined for 6-home runs and 32-runs scored in the RedHawks 17-15 victory in 11 innings. Keury De La Cruz, Chris Grayson, and Yhoxian Medina each had 3-hits and 3-RBI for the visitors. Tony Thomas had 2-homers and 4-RBI in a losing effort.

Jason Creasy started for the Saints and was opposed by Cody McPartland, but neither starter would last three-innings. In the top of the first, Devan Ahart led off the game with his fourth home run of the season.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Saints would respond with three runs to take the lead. Ben Beurkle singled into right field to start the frame and moved to second when Mitch Delfino drew a walk. A ground out moved both runners into scoring position before Anthony Gallas reached on an error to load the bases. Nate Hanson followed by drawing a walk that brought in Buerkle, and Thomas plated two with a single into center that gave St. Paul the lead.

In the top of the second, Fargo-Moorhead retook the lead. K.D. Kang and Charlie Valerio started the inning with back-to-back singles, and Jose DeLuca walked to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Kang and Mikey Reynolds brought home Valerio with a ground out to tie the score. Yhoxian Medina then doubled to bring home DeLuca and the RedHawks were back in front, 4-3.

St. Paul retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning, chasing McPartland. Jon Kristoffersen walked to start the inning and Buerkle singled to put runners at the corners with no one out. Delfino grounded out to score Kristoffersen, and Brady Shoemaker followed with his 13th homer of the season, a two-run shot that gave the Saints a 6-4 lead. Gallas followed with his 13th home run and the lead was three.

Each team scored a run in the third. Chris Grayon scored on a base hit by Valerio to make this a one-run game again. However, the Saints got the run right back in the bottom of the inning as Delfino scored on a base hit by Shoemaker.

In the top of fourth, Fargo-Moorhead put up five to retake the lead. Ahart walked to start the inning, and De La Cruz followed by drilling his second homer of the year to pull the visitors within one. Two batters later, Josh Mazzola was hit by a pitch and Kang singled to put two on. A double by Valerio brought home Mazzola to tie the game, and DeLuca’s double to left scored two to put the RedHawks up by two.

St. Paul got one of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning when Tony Thomas hit his 12th homer of the season to make it a 10-9 game.

In the bottom of the fifth, St. Paul scored two to retake the lead, the sixth time in the game that the lead had changed hands. Jose Almarante retired the first two batters of the inning, but Shoemaker doubled to keep it alive and scored on a double by Gallas, Hanson then delivered the third straight double to score Gallas and put St. Paul on top, 11-10.

Amazingly, no one scored in the sixth, one of just two innings where neither team scored. However, in the seventh, the RedHawks put up five more to retake the lead. Three singles by DeLuca, Medina, and Ahart loaded the bases, and De La Cruz singled to bring home DeLuca. A base hit by Grayson, the fifth batter to single out of six in the frame, brought home both Ahart and Medina. De La Cruz scored on a wild pitch and Grayson came home on a Valerio double to make it 15-11 Fargo-Moorhead.

In the eighth, the Saints pulled within three. With two down, Thomas blasted his second home run of the game and 13th of the season to make it 15-12.

In the ninth, Fargo-Moorhead sent in closer Casey Weathers, but he could not hold the lead. Kristoffersen walked with one down before Beurkle was retired. This game looked like it may be over, but back-to-back walks to Delfino and Shoemaker loaded the bases and a walk to Gallas brought home Kristoffersen. That brought Hanson to the plate, who delivered a clutch single up the middle, scoring two to tie the game.

After a scoreless 10th, the RedHawks retook the lead in the 11th. With Ahart at first and two down, De La Cruz singled to move Ahart to third. He scored on a base hit by Grayson and De La Cruz came home on a bases loaded walk to Kang. That made it 17-15.

Tyler Thompson came on in the bottom of the 11th. He gave up a two-out walk but struck out Hanson to end the game for his first save of the season. Casey Weathers (2-2) earned the victory.

Charlie Valerio was 4-7 with 2-runs and 3-RBI. Both Chris Grayson and Keury De La Cruz were 3-7 with 3-runs drive in. Devan Ahart scored 4-runs for the RedHawks. The Saints offense was led by Tony Thomas, who was 3-6 with 2-runs and 4-RBI. Nate Hanson was 3-5 with 4-RBI and Anthony Gallas and Mitch Delfino each scored 3-runs.

The rubber match of this three-game set is Sunday evening. Benji Waite (2-1, 1.38) will start for the St. Paul Saints. Zach Pendergast (1-0, 2.84) will go for Fargo-Moorhead. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05.

Boxscore

By Robert Pannier