Kirilloff's Four Hits, Cave's Home Run Not Enough As Saints Lose For Ninth Straight Time, 8-7 In 10

OMAHA, NE (May 18, 2022) - First the good: Alex Kirilloff tied a career high with four hits and finished a triple shy of the cycle, Jake Cave hit his first home run of the season, and the Saints came back from a four-run deficit to take an eighth inning lead. Unfortunately, there was the bad: the Saints lost for the ninth straight time 8-7 in 10 innings at Werner Park on Wednesday, they were walked off for the fourth time during the losing streak, all coming in extra innings, and they lost for the 10th consecutive time on the road.

With the Saints down 6-4 in the eighth they took their first lead of the night when they loaded the bases with nobody out. Elliot Soto and Mark Contreras singled and Curtis Terry walked. Kirilloff came through with a two-run single to center tying the game at six. Kirilloff finished the night 4-6 with two singles, a double, and a home run, three RBI, and a run scored. After a walk to Caleb Hamilton loaded the bases, a balk by Brad Peacock forced in a run giving the Saints a 7-6 lead. With runners at second and third and nobody out, however, Peacock fanned the next three hitters to end the inning.

The Storm Chasers tied it in the bottom of the inning when Vinnie Pasquantino led off with a double to left. With one out Clay Dungan lined an RBI single to center tying the game at seven.

The game went to the 10th and with the placed runner at second Kirilloff lined out to left and back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning.

That was enough for the Storm Chasers because the very first batter in the bottom of the inning, Gabriel Cancel, lined the game winning single to center. It was the fourth time during the nine game losing streak the Saints have gone extra innings and the fourth time they were walked-off.

The Storm Chasers jumped out to a 4-0 lead scoring three in the first. Dionar Blanco walked. Nick Pratto doubled off the wall in right-center putting runners at second and third. A wild pitch scored Blanco making it 1-0. Cancel walked to put runners at the corners. With Cancel going, a ball in the dirt allowed Pratto to score as Cancel stole second increasing the lead to 2-0. An RBI single to right by Pasquantino put the Storm Chasers up 3-0.

In the third Brewer Hicklin, who hit the grand slam on Tuesday night, hit a solo homer down the left field line, his fifth of the season, making it 4-0.

The Saints cut the lead in half in the fourth and Kirilloff got it started with his first home run of the season, a solo blast to right, getting the Saints to within 4-1. Singles by Hamilton and Jake Cave put runners at first and second. A fielder’s choice by Roy Morales put runners at the corners and a Jermaine Palacios RBI single to center made it 4-2.

The Storm Chasers answered in the bottom half of the inning with their second home run of the game, a solo shot by JaCoby Jones, his second of the season, increasing the lead to 5-2.

In the top of the sixth the Saints snagged a run back. Cave led off by reaching on a two base fielding error by first the baseman Pratto. A groundout moved Cave to third. After a walk to Palacios, David Bañuelos singled to center knocking home Cave getting the Saints to withing 5-3.

The back-and-forth nature of scoring runs continued as the Storm Chasers scored in the bottom of the inning without a hit. Hicklen led off with a walk. He stole second and, with two outs, Jones walked. A wild pitch scored Hicklen all the way from second putting the Saints behind by three runs again at 6-3.

Cave got the Saints within two in the seventh when he hit his first home run of the season, a solo blast to left, making it 6-4.

The Saints took their first lead of the night from there, but couldn’t hang on. The longest losing streak in the 30-year history of the franchise is also nine, set when the Saints were in the American Association from August 8-17, 2014. The longest road losing streak in the 30-year history of the franchise is also 10, done twice by the Saints, once in the Northern League from August 29, 2001-June 4, 2002 and once in the American Association from July 23-August 15, 2006.

The same two teams meet in game three of a six-game series on Thursday night at 6:35 p.m. at Werner Park. The Saints send RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-0, 4.76) to the mound against Storm Chasers RHP Jackson Kowar (1-3, 7.86). The game can be seen on MiLB.TV and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.