Saints Drop Fourth Straight To Clippers, 8-3

COLUMBUS, OH (September 14, 2024) - The teams chasing the Columbus Clippers for the second half title were hoping to get some help from the St. Paul Saints this week. After winning game one of the series, however, the Saints haven’t been able to equal what they did on Tuesday. They dropped their fourth consecutive game, falling 8-3 to the Clippers on Saturday night at Huntington Park.

For the third consecutive game the Saints scored in the first. Payton Eeles led off the game with a double to the gap in right-center. Austin Martin’s single to left-center moved Eeles to third. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. grounded into a double play that scored Eeles giving the Saints a 1-0 lead.

Just like the Saints got a leadoff double, so did the Clippers in the bottom of the first off the bat of Myles Straw. With one out, Straw scored on a single to right by Gabriel Arias tying the game at one.

With two outs and nobody on in the third Eeles and Martin were hit by pitches. Keirsey Jr. dropped an RBI single into left-center giving the Saints a 2-1 lead. That gives Keirsey Jr. 86 RBI on the season tying Yunior Severino for the single-season franchise record.

Three solo homers in the third gave the Clippers the lead. The first two hitters of the inning, Christian Cairo and Straw, each hit solo homers, their first and third, respectively, giving the Clippers a 3-2 lead. With two outs Johnathan Rodriguez hit a solo homer to left, his 27^th of the season, increasing the lead to 4-2.

The Clippers tacked on a run in the fifth when Straw led off with a walk and Juan Brito dropped down a bunt single putting runners at first and second. After a double play moved Straw to third, Rodriguez singled to right giving the Clippers a 5-2 lead.

Three more runs crossed the plate for the Clippers in the sixth. Jaylen Nowlin made his Triple-A debut and hit the first two batters he faced. A sacrifice bunt by Dom Nuñez moved the runners to second and third. With the infield in, Cairo hit a ground ball to short and the throw to first was dropped by Diego Castillo allowing Micah Pries to score giving the Clippers a 6-2 lead. On the 10^th pitch of the at bat, Straw lined an RBI single into left-center extending the lead 7-2. A wild pitch scored the third run of the inning, making it 8-2.

In the ninth the Saints made it 8-3 on back-to-back doubles by Jair Camargo and Diego Castillo.

The same two teams meet in the finale of the six-game series on Sunday afternoon at 12:05 p.m. (CT). The Saints send RHP Randy Dobnak (12-6, 3.86) to the mound against Clippers LHP Will Dion (4-4, 5.70). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.