I-Cubs Offense Ignites in Series Finale

ST. PAUL, MN – The Iowa Cubs (14-15) will leave St. Paul with a series split after defeating the Saints (15-13) by a final score of 10-3 in Sunday’s finale at CHS Field.

Both starters had a relatively smooth first inning of work, both stranding one baserunner and finishing a scoreless frame, before things started to turn the I-Cubs’ way in the second. Nelson Velazquez led off the inning with a walk, then the team followed with six straight hits - including Robel Garcia’s first triple of the season - to score four runs and take the lead.

Saints’ starter Cole Sands got things back under control for the third, but the I-Cubs’ offense picked right back up off reliever Drew Strotman. They scored two runs on a pair of hits in the fourth, then added one run on two more hits in the fifth. Already up 7-0, Jared Young added even more insurance for Iowa with his eighth home run of the year to lead off the sixth. The I-Cubs then combined two walks and a single to load the bases before taking their third bases-loaded walk of the series to make the lead 9-0.

On the other side of things, Iowa starter Caleb Kilian kept the Saints from striking back. In his sixth start of the year, Kilian pitched five complete innings and did not allow a run. He gave up four hits, but never more than one in an inning, and came just one shy of his season high with five strikeouts.

Iowa’s bullpen took over in the sixth, starting with lefty Brendon Little, who pitched a scoreless inning in his 2022 debut. The Saints finally broke the shutout in the seventh, however, scoring a pair on a walk and two doubles off of Luke Farrell, who also made his season debut today. They added one more on a solo home run from David Banuelos in the ninth, but that’s all they would get, and the I-Cubs put away the series finale by a final score of 10-3.

POSTGAME NOTES:

• Caleb Kilian picked up his first win of the season. He is now 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA over his first six starts at Triple-A.
• Nelson Maldonado broke a season-high seven-game hitting streak with an 0-for-5 performance today. He was the only I-Cub starter that did not reach base.
• Three Iowa hitters recorded three-hit games today in Jared Young, Ildemaro Vargas, and Tyler Payne. It was Payne’s first multi-hit game for Iowa this year and Young’s fourth multi-hit game of the series.
• P.J. Higgins’ five-hit afternoon was good for the most hits by an Iowa player in a game this season, while the team’s 17 total hits also set a season high.

Iowa will take tomorrow off before returning to Principal Park on Tuesday for the first of 12 straight games at home. They’ll start the homestand with a series against Omaha, with Tuesday’s first pitch set for 6:38pm. For more information and tickets, visit www.iowacubs.com.