Error Helps Saints Rally to Fourth Straight Win
ST. PAUL, MN (September 9, 2020) – The games may not mean anything in terms of playoff implications, but don’t tell that to the St. Paul Saints. They continue to play hard as they try to close the season on a strong note. The Saints got two runs in the bottom of the eighth courtesy of a throwing error and won 4-2 over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks on Wednesday nigh tat CHS Field in front of 1,473. The win was their fourth in a row, the longest winning streak of the season.
With the two outs in the bottom of the eighth and the game tied at two, John Silviano walked. Alonzo Harris followed with a bloop double to center putting runners at second and third. Troy Alexander hit a ground ball to third that was fielded by Leo Pina, but his throw to first went wide and skipped into foul territory allowing Silviano and Harris to score giving the Saints a two-run lead.
That was more than enough for Jameson McGrane who locked down his league tying 16th save of the season.
Neither team collected a hit through the first three innings, but it was Drew Ward of the RedHawks who came calling for the second straight night against Saints pitching. With one out in the fourth, Ward deposited a pitch over the right field wall for a solo home run, his 17th of the season, giving the Saints a 1-0 lead.
Saints starter, Matt Solter, didn’t make many mistakes after that. His offense gave him the lead in the bottom of the inning when Chuck Taylor led off with a double and Silviano blasted a two-run shot to right, the third consecutive game he’s homered and 14th of the season, giving the Saints a 2-1 lead. It’s the 25th time in franchise history a player has homered in three-straight games. No Saints player has ever homered in four-straight.
The RedHawks tied it in the sixth when Brennan Metzger started the inning by being hit by a pitch. Forrestt Allday followed with a double to left-center putting runners at second and third. Solter fanned Ward before being removed for reliever Paul Voelker. Correlle Prime’s sacrifice fly tied the game at two. Solter went 5.1 innings allowing two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out nine.
The bullpen once again did a great job as Voelker pitched 2.0 hitless innings while striking out one and Jose Velez retired the only two hitters he faced.
The final game of the season is Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. at CHS Field. The Saints send RHP Pete Tago (0-0, 15.43) to the mound against RedHawks LHP Tyler Pike (3-5, 3.66). The game can be seen on the Saints Cable Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities area, streamed at aabaseball.tv, and heard on KFAN Plus 96.7 FM.
By Sean Aronson, St. Paul Saints
