Canaries Rally Falls Short in Sioux Falls
By Adam Bertsch
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The Sioux Falls Canaries trimmed the score down to one run four separate times but ultimately fell to the St. Paul Saints 5-4 on Wednesday night.
Damek Tomscha went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBI but the Saints countered each run the Canaries would score.
St. Paul broke through in the top of the second inning when Drew Stankiewicz hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to make the score 1-0. All runners tagged on the play, and Nate Samson scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 2-0.
Sioux Falls cut the deficit in half when Mike Hart hit a solo home run to make the score 2-1.
Max Murphy put the Saints back up by two runs when he hit a solo home run extending the lead to 3-1.
Andrew Ely led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and Tomscha drove him in on a double of his own to cut the score to 3-2.
The Saints battled back immediately in the top of the sixth. Alonzo Harris was on second base when Chris Chinea hit a fly ball to right field. Harris tagged at second and the throw came in offline, allowing him to score and push the lead to 4-2.
Once again the Birds countered with a run in the bottom of the seventh when Damek Tomscha knocked a solo home run to trim the score to 4-3.
St. Paul scored another unearned run when Max Murphy reached on a leadoff error. Murphy stole second and with two outs Chesny Young doubled him home making the score 5-3.
The Canaries cut the lead back down one last time in the bottom of the eighth when Clint Coulter hit a solo home run down the left field line to make the score 5-4.
The Birds put the tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth but were unable to score.
UP NEXT
The Sioux Falls Canaries host the St. Paul Saints for the final time at the Birdcage this season Thursday August 27. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
