Davis Catapults Iowa to Game One Victory

ST. PAUL, MN – The Iowa Cubs (51-70) began the Final Stretch of their season with a 4-1 victory over the St. Paul Saints (61-60), Wednesday at CHS Field.

Iowa got out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, scoring on a wild pitch from starter Derek Law. Law recorded just two outs before being replaced, throwing 16 of his 30 total pitches for strikes.

Brennen Davis extended the I-Cubs’ lead in the second inning, crushing his fourth home run in just his seventh Triple-A game. Davis’ three-run shot brought Iowa’s lead to 4-0 over St. Paul, giving starter Cory Abbott all the support he would need.

Abbott came one out short of his fourth consecutive quality start, allowing just one earned over 5.2 innings of work. The righty allowed three hits and three walks, while striking out five on the way to his fourth straight win.

Ethan Roberts, Scott Kobos and Jason Adam kept St. Paul off the board the rest of the way, combining to throw 3.1 scoreless innings. The trio allowed five hits on one walk, while striking out five of the 16 batters they faced.

POSTGAME NOTES:

• Brennen Davis added another multi-hit game, giving him five multi-hit efforts in his first seven games with Iowa. Chicago’s No. 1 ranked prospect went 2-for-3 tonight with a single, a three-run home run and a walk.

• With five more strikeouts tonight, Cory Abbott brought his total on the year to 130. He now leads the entire Triple-A by seven, with the next closest pitcher recording 123 strikeouts this season.

• Iowa moved to 9-49 this year when they are out-hit by their opponent, winning tonight despite being out-hit eight to five.

Iowa and St. Paul will meet for game two of their five-game set at CHS Field tomorrow night, with first pitch between the two teams set for 7:05 pm. For more information and tickets, visit www.iowacubs.com.