Saints Walk Their Way To 11-1 Victory In Home Finale

ST. PAUL, MN (September 26, 2021) - A combination of patience and erratic pitching from the Iowa Cubs resulted in 13 walked for St. Paul Saints hitters. Add in some timely hitting and another stellar pitching performance and the Saints ended their 2021 home schedule with an 11-1 victory in front of 4,055. The win gave the Saints a 37-28 record at home in their first season as a Triple-A affiliate and they are now 4-1 in the Final Stretch, a 10-game playoff for all of Triple-A.

For the second consecutive game the Saints used the wildness of I-Cubs pitchers to score early runs. David Mekkes had retired the first five hitters of the game, but with two outs in the second he lost control of the strike zone. He walked three straight and then unleashed a wild pitch that scored BJ Boyd giving the Saints a 1-0 lead. A walk to Drew Stankiewicz loaded the bases and Jose Miranda cashed in. He lined a single into left-center scoring a pair of runs making it 3-0.

In the third, Bryan Hudson walked the first two hitters he faced. With one out he hit Sherman Johnson to load the bases. David Bañuelos knocked home a pair with a double off the right field wall giving the Saints a 5-0 lead.

Saints starter Andrew Albers was his usual steady self He allowed a baserunner in each of the first three innings, but was never in any trouble. In the fourth Albers made his lone mistake on a solo homer from Christopher Morel, his first at Triple-A, making it 5-1. Albers went 5.0 innings allowing one run on four hits while walking two and fanning seven.

The Saints added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth courtesy of one base hit and three walks from Scott Kobos. With one out Gilberto Celestino singled to left. With two outs Kobos walked three straight hitters, the latter to Sherman Johnson that forced in a run increasing the lead to 6-1.

In the seventh, the Saints poured it on as Drew Stankiewicz led off with a single to left-center. Miranda doubled him home making it 7-1. Miranda finished the day 3-6 with a double, three RBI and a run scored. With two outs Mark Contreras walked and Drew Maggi followed with an RBI single to right putting the Saints up 8-1. BJ Boyd tripled to right scoring a pair and giving the Saints a 10-1 lead.

The Saints finished off their high-octane offense with a solo homer from Bañuelos in the eighth, his third of the season, making it 11-1. Bañuelos finished the day 2-4 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored.

The Saints have Monday and Tuesday off and begin their final five-game series of the season on Wednesday night against the Toledo Mud Hens at Fifth Third Field at 5:35 p.m. central. Both teams are TBA. The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.