Plates Drop Thursday Morning Matchup, 5-1

The Rochester Plates dropped a close contest to the St. Paul Saints Thursday at Innovative Field, 5-1, the third of a six-game set. RHP *Wily Peralta *got the nod on the mound for the Plates in the Thursday morning game.

St. Paul’s offense started off hot, launching a three-run homer in the top half of the first to give the Saints an early 3-0 lead.

The Plates offense picked up when SS Richie Martin Jr. gave the Plates’ a spark, singling and stealing second in the 5th. 2B *Darren Baker *followed up with an RBI single that brought Martin in to score, closing in on the Saints’ lead to 3-1. Rochester bats were held scoreless over the final four frames, and Saints added a pair of RBI singles in the ninth to make the final score, 5-1.

RHP Wily Peralta (0-1, 4.80) started on the mound for the Plates and was tagged with the loss. The righty went 4.2 innings, allowing three earned on just one hit, striking out five and walking three. LHP Alberto Baldonado, RHP Jose Mujica, *RHP *Gerson Moreno **and RHP Luis Reyes** pitched 4.1 innings in relief for Peralta. RHP Louie Varland (2-0, 4.20) earned the win for St. Paul.

The Diamond Pro Player of the Game is Richie Martin, who went 2-for-4, with an extra-base hit, a stolen base and a run scored on the day. Martin's fifth-inning single marked his 100th career hit in Triple-A.

The Plates look to bounce back Friday at Innovative field, as they take on St. Paul in game four of their six-game series. RHP Cory Abbott (1-3, 8.50) will take on Saints’ RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (0-2, 9.00). First pitch is set for 6:05 pm.

See the box score attached here.