Pivot! Pivot! Pivot! Saints Score Three In Ninth For 4-2 Comeback Victory

DES MOINES, IA (May 27, 2021) - You can’t just give up. That’s what a dinosaur would do. And it’s not what the St. Paul Saints did on Thursday night at Principal Park. They won for the fourth straight time and this one may have been the most impressive of the bunch. Down 2-1 entering the ninth, the Saints utilized two singles, two hit by pitches, and a costly error to overtake the Iowa Cubs and win 4-2.

With the Saints trailing 2-1 in the top of the ninth JT Riddle led off with a single to right-center. He finished the night 3-5 with two runs scored. With one out Jimmy Kerrigan and Daniel Descalso were hit by pitches in back-to-back at bats to load the bases. Tzu-Wei Lin then smashed an RBI single into right scoring Riddle to tie the game at two. Lin went 3-5 with a double and two RBI. That brought up Tomás Telis who hit a 30-foot dribbler up the first base line that pitcher Adam Morgan fielded, but his throw to first went down the right field line allowing two runs to score on the error that gave the Saints a 4-2 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth Rob Whalen came on to close it out. With one out Andrew Romine reached on a bunt single to third and Josue Huma singled to left-center putting runners at first and second. That brought up the top of the order and Sergio Alcantara, who entered play hitting .364 and an eight-game hitting streak. Whalen got Alcantara to fly out to left for the second out. Abiatal Avelino then struck out to end the game and give Whalen his first save of the season.

Jhoan Duran got the start for the Saints and he was even better than in his first start. Over the first two innings he faced seven batters, giving up a one out first inning single to Avelino, and striking out the other six hitters. Duran wouldn’t allow another hit going 4.0 shutout innings allowing one hit while walking two and striking out eight. He topped out at 101 miles per hour and threw 66 pitches, 38 for strikes. Duran has now fanned 14 in 7.0 innings. Over the last six games the Saints starters have a 1.82 ERA allowing six runs in 29.2 innings.

The Saints put up the first run of the game in the fifth when Riddle led off with a single. With one out Kerrigan singled Riddle to second. With two outs Lin gave the Saints a 1-0 lead with an RBI single to right.

The I-Cubs took the lead in the sixth off reliever Lewis Thorpe. Alcantara led off with a walk followed by an Avelino double that put runners at second and third. Trayce Thompson singled home Alcantara, but for the third time in the last two games Thompson made a base running error and was caught in a run down between first and second and was tagged out. After a walk to Jose Lobatón, Vance Vizcaino gave the I-Cubs a 2-1 lead with an RBI single to right-center.

The same two teams meet in game four of the six-game series on Friday night at 7:08 p.m. The Saints send RHP Griffin Jax (2-1, 4.29) to the mound and the I-Cubs are TBA. The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.