SIOUX FALLS, SD (August 27, 2020) – They shared a ballpark for the first month of the season and in their final game at Sioux Falls Stadium the St. Paul Saints were unwelcomed guests. An 11-run fourth inning helped send the Saints to a 14-2 victory over the Sioux Falls Canaries. The victory improves the Saints to 25-23 and they are now tied for the second and final playoff spot in the league and remain 2.0 games out of the top spot with 12 games to go.

In the first Mikey Reynolds got things started for the Saints with a single to right. With one out Max Murphy extended his hitting streak to nine with an RBI double to left-center. A walk to Chris Chinea put runners at first and second. With two outs, Chesny Young walked and that was followed by a bases loaded walk to Nate Samson forcing in Murphy giving the Saints a 2-0 lead.

With the Saints up 2-1 in the fourth they chased starter Alex Boshers and knocked out the Canaries with an 11-run fourth. They started the inning with five straight hits against Boshers. Drew Stankiewicz led off with a double to right. He scored on a bloop single to left by Mikey Reynolds giving the Saints a 3-1 lead. Alonzo Harris then hit a hard smash off of Boshers for an infield single putting runners at first and second. Max Murphy made it 4-1 with an RBI single. Chris Chinea gave the Saints a 6-1 lead with a two-run double. John Silviano was hit by a pitch by Boshers and that ended his night. DJ Sharabi came out of the bullpen and didn’t fair much better. He was greeted by a single to left by Chesny Young that loaded the bases. Samson knocked home two with a single to center putting the Saints up 8-1. A sacrifice fly by Troy Alexander gave the Saints a 9-1 lead. Stankiewicz reached on a fielding error by the shortstop Andrew Ely putting runners at first and second. With two outs, Harris walked to load the bases. Murphy unloaded the bases with a double to dead center making it 12-1. Murphy finished the night 3-5 with two doubles, five RBI and three runs scored. The Saints finished the inning with Chinea’s second RBI double of the inning as the Saints led 13-1. The 11 runs were the third most runs scored in an inning in franchise history. The Saints scored 12 runs twice, on July 24, 1995 vs. Thunder Bay and July 28, 2007 vs. Sioux City.

The Saints finished their scoring when Reynolds drilled a solo homer to right, his fourth of the season, in the sixth. Reynolds finished 4-6 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored.

Chinea tied a franchise record, the second time he’s done so this season, with three doubles. It’s the third time a Saints player has collected three doubles in a game this season, Mikey Reynolds also accomplished the feat.

Overall, seven of nine Saints players collected a hit, eight of nine scored a run, and five different players had an RBI.

The two teams will now switch venues and begin a three-game series on Friday night at CHS Field at 7:05 p.m. The Saints will send RHP Ryan Zimmerman (4-2, 4.56) against Canaries RHP Tyler Herron (6-1, 4.92). The game can be seen on the Saints Cable Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities, streamed at aabaseball.tv, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

Boxscore

by Sean Aronson, St. Paul Saints