Saints Lose Tough One In Extras To I-Cubs 11-7

ST. PAUL, MN (August 18, 2021) - The St. Paul Saints were two outs from victory and saw it slip away in the ninth. They managed to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth only to give up four in the 10th and lose 11-7 to the Iowa Cubs on Wednesday night at CHS Field in front of 6,904. The loss snaps a string of seven consecutive extra inning wins and drops their record to 50-42.

With the Saints up 6-5 in the ninth, Jovani Moran came on to try and close it out. With one out, pinch-hitter Greg Diechmann hit a solo homer to right to tie the game at seven. Ian Miller followed with a walk and stole second. That proved to be huge as Nick Martini came through with a two-out RBI single to center putting the I-Cubs up 7-6.

The Saints tied it in the bottom of the ninth as Mark Contreras roped a one out double to right. He took third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch knotting the game at seven.

In the 10th, however, with Trent Giambrone starting the inning at second, Erick Castillo sacrificed him to third. After a walk to Levi Jordan, Diechmann came through for the second time with an RBI single to center putting the I-Cubs up 8-7. Ian Miller then drilled a three-run homer to right, his second of the season, to cap off the 11-7 victory for the I-Cubs.

In the first the I-Cubs loaded the bases with one out on a bunt single from Alfonso Rivas, a single from Nick Martini, and a walk to Trayce Thompson. A sacrifice fly from Jared Young made it 1-0 I-Cubs.

The Saints tied it in the bottom of the inning on a Trevor Larnach solo homer to right-center, his third with the Saints.

In the third the I-Cubs took the lead as Rivas led off with a double to left. With two outs, an RBI infield single by Young gave the I-Cubs a 2-1 lead. The next hitter, Giambrone, delivered a two-run homer to left-center, his second of the season, putting the I-Cubs up 4-1.

In the fourth the I-Cubs got another homerun from an unlikely source as Edwin Figuera hit a solo homer to left, his first of the season, making it 5-1.

The Saints put up a crooked number of their own in the fourth, using a couple of long balls. With one out Contreras doubled to left and that was followed by a two-run homer to left-center from Gilberto Celestino, his fourth of the season, cutting the deficit to 5-3.

With two outs Jimmy Kerrigan deposited a solo shot over the left field wall, his 17th of the season, getting the Saints to within 5-4.

The Saints tied it in the fifth when Tomás Telis drilled a solo homer over the left field wall, his ninth of the season.

The Saints took a 6-5 lead in the seventh when Telis reached on an infield single to second. He moved to second on a wild pitch and then stole third. Contreras doubled home Telis to give the Saints lead.

The same two teams meet in game three of the six-game series at CHS Field at 7:05 p.m. The Saints send RHP Beau Burrows (2-1, 4.34) against I-Cubs RHP Matt Swarmer (2-5, 6.29). The game can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities, and MiLB.TV, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.