Opportunities Lost as Saints Fall in Sioux Falls
SIOUX FALLS, SD (July 22, 2020) – The St. Paul Saints are going to look back on Wednesday night’s game against the Sioux Falls Canaries and count all the early missed opportunities. They left eight men on base through the first four innings and 10 overall, including the bases loaded in the second, and it proved costly as they dropped their fifth straight game to their hubmates 6-3 at Sioux Falls Stadium.
The league’s leading hitter, Mikey Reynolds, extended his hitting streak to a career tying high 12 games by leading off the game with a single. With one out, Chesny Young singled him to third, extending his hitting streak to nine games, but both runners were left stranded.
In the second, the Saints loaded the bases with two outs on a walk, error, and a walk, but Nate Samson flew out to left to end the inning.
With the Saints down 2-0 in the third they managed to score a run when Alonzo Harris singled with one out. Chris Chinea smashed a double off the wall in left scoring Harris to make it 2-1. Josh Allen then walked, but both runners were left stranded.
With one out in the fourth Reynolds walked, stole second, but would advance no further.
On the other side, the Canaries capitalized on their chances. In the first Andrew Ely singled, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Alay Lago’s RBI single to make it 1-0 Canaries.
In the second the Canaries took a 2-0 lead on a Saints miscue. Mike Hart led off with a single and, with one out, Ryan Long walked. With KC Huth at the plate, catcher Mitch Ghlefi attempted to back pick Long at first. The throw to first caught Long in between first and second, but first baseman John Silviano’s throw to second wound up in left field scoring Hart to make it 2-0.
With the score 2-1 in the bottom of the third, Lago singled and, with one out, Clint Coulter delivered a two-run blast to left, his second of the season, to make it 4-1.
In the fifth the Canaries made it 5-1 when Lago doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice line out by Coulter.
The Saints scored the next two to make it close when Max Murphy hit a solo homer in the sixth, his second of the season, making it 5-2.
In the seventh Nate Samson singled to left and Chesny Young walked. A wild pitch moved the runners up and a Harris groundout scored Samson to cut the Saints deficit to two.
They wouldn’t get any closer as the Canaries added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single from Damek Tomscha.
The same two teams meet in the finale of the three-game series on Thursday night at Sioux Falls Stadium at 7:05 p.m. The Saints send RHP Mike Devine (1-2, 5.29) to the mound against Canaries RHP Grady Wood (1-1, 4.91). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.
By Sean Aronson, St. Paul Saints
