St. Paul Saints Bats Kept in Check as Team Falls 4-1: Saints Summary

The St. Paul Saints are all but mathematically eliminated at this point, and the way they are playing now, it is clear that they know this as well. The Saints fell to the Gary Southshore RailCats again Wednesday night, as the team mustered up just five hits in the 4-1 loss. The defeat was their second of this three-game series, and 11th in their last 12 games.

The Saints got on board in the first inning when Evan Bigley doubled with one out. Willie Cabrera hit a fly ball to right field, and Bigley tagged and reached third. The first pitch Henry Wrigley saw he drilled into left-center field for a base hit scoring Bigley, and the Saints were up 1-0. That was the offensive highlight of the night for the team, and the only run that the RailCats’ Stephen Bougher would allow.

While Bougher was pitching an outstanding game, so was the Saints Drew Gay. He breezed through the first four innings, allowing just one hit and two walks (one intentional) in the first four frames. He had 1-2-3 innings in the first and fourth, and was in total control of the game.

In the fifth the RailCats finally broke through. Josh Romanski led off the inning with a single, and Jose Garcia followed with a sacrifice bunt to move Romanski to second. Wally Backman then singled on a 2-2 pitch to right field scoring Romanski and tying the game. It was Backman’s 32 RBI of the year.

In the seventh, Gary would get to Gay again, knocking him from the game. Garcia singled with one out, and one out later Daniel Pulfer singled to move Garcia to second. Drew Martinez worked an eight pitch at-bat before doubling into the gap in left-center field, scoring Garcia and giving the RailCats a 2-1 lead.

Matt Meyer relieved Gay, and hit Zac Mitchell with his first pitch to load the bases. That brought Mikey Mehlich into the game to relieve Meyer. He walked Ryan Babeneau and Drew Muren to score two more runs, before finally striking out Craig Maddox to end the inning.

Up 4-1, Gary’s bullpen took over. Ian Kadish retired both batters he faced in the eighth inning and James Parr pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save of the season. Bougher (8-5) yielded five hits and three walks in his 7.1 innings pitched, with four strikeouts.

The loss dropped the Saints 10 games behind Winnipeg in the North Division. The Goldeyes magic number is now two games to clinch the division.

By Robert Pannier
Senior Baseball Editor
Member of the IBWAA