Daytime Downer, Saints Fall To Clippers 4-3 In Matinee Affair

COLUMBUS, OH *(May 17, 2023) - *The St. Paul Saints may have a losing record in day games, 8-10 entering play on Wednesday at Huntington Park, but they were undefeated in weekday day games, winning their first three matinee affairs. They couldn’t make it 4-0 on Wednesday afternoon as theY dropped a one run game to the Columbus Clippers, 4-3.

An error in the second inning proved costly for the Saints as the Clippers plated a pair. Oscar Gonzalez led off the inning with a double off the wall in left. With one out Zack Collins walked. A flyout sent Gonzalez to third. Micah Pries then hit a slow tapper to the right of the mound that Simeon Woods Richardson knocked down, picked up, but threw away at first allowing two runs to score giving the Clippers a 2-0 lead.

The Clippers added to their lead in the third with another two-out run. Bo Naylor led off the inning with a double to right-center. With two outs Collins singled up the middle scoring Naylor making it 3-0.

In the fourth the Saints got a run back. Mark Contreras led off with a double to left and he scored on a one out single by Jair Camargo to cut the deficit to 3-1.

The teams traded runs in the sixth. The Saints scored their run when Chris Williams roped a one out double to left-center and scored when Andrew Bechtold doubled off the wall in right-center making it 3-2.

In the bottom of the inning Collins led off with a double and moved to third on a single from Jhonkensy Noel. After Woods Richardson was removed, Connor Sadzeck got Micah Pries to ground into a double play that scored Collins increasing the lead to 4-2. Woods Richardson went 5.0+ innings allowing four runs (two earned) while walking four and striking out three.

For the second time in two innings the Saints got to within a run. Hernán Pérez led off with a single to left-center. He advanced to second on a flyout to medium left-center by Edouard Julien. That crafty baserunning paid off because after Andrew Stevenson walked, Jose Miranda knocked him home with a single to left cutting the deficit to 4-3.

In the ninth, the Saints got the tying run aboard when Stevenson singled to center, but Miranda grounded into a game ending double play.

The Saints collected 10 hits and had their first back-to-back double-digit hit games since May 4 and 5.

The same two teams meet in game three of a six-game series on Thursday night at 6:05 p.m. (CT). The Saint send LHP Brent Headrick (1-0, 5.60) to the mound against Clippers RHP Zach Plesac (1-0, 1.64). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.