Saints Can't Pull Off Third Straight Late Comeback, Lose 6-4 To Storm Chasers

_ST. PAUL, MN _*(May 26, 2023) - *Over the last two nights the St. Paul Saints have pushed all the right buttons late in the game. A walk-off win on Wednesday and a four-run eighth Thursday helped them win both games. On Friday night, despite allowing six stolen bases in the first inning and seven overall, the Saints had an opportunity to come from behind late and win again, but fell short in a 6-4 loss to the Omaha Storm Chasers at CHS Field in front of 6,080.

The Storm Chasers used their legs to grab a pair of runs in the first inning as they stole six bases. Samad Taylor led off with a walk. He then stole second and third and scored on a ball four wild pitch to Nate Eaton giving the Storm Chasers a 1-0 lead. Eaton then stole second and third as Nick Loftin walked to put runners at the corners. Loftin tried to steal second, but was thrown out. After a strikeout, Brewer Hicklen was hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners. A double steal, with Hicklen swiping second and Eaton beating the return throw home from the second baseman Alex De Goti, increased the lead to 2-0.

In the second, the Storm Chasers used more conventional ways to score a pair of runs. Jakson Reetz and Clay Dungan started the inning with back-to-back singles. With one out, Taylor walked to load the bases and Eaton followed with a two-run double making it 4-0.

The Storm Chasers utilized three more walks in the fifth to increase their lead. Loftin led off the inning with a single and, with two outs, three straight walks forced Loftin in making it 5-0.

The Saints finally got on the board in the sixth when Royce Lewis led off with a single and Tyler White drilled a two-run homer to left, his second of the season, cutting the deficit to 5-2.

Three walks aided the Saints in the eighth. With one out, Mark Contreras lined a single into right. Chris Williams followed with a walk putting runners at first and second. With two outs, back-to-back walks to Andrew Bechtold and Hernán Pérez forced in a run cutting the deficit to 5-3.

In the ninth, the Storm Chasers added an insurance run when Taylor walked, stole second, advanced to third on a bunt single by Eaton, and scored on the subsequent throwing error by the pitcher Kody Funderburk increasing the lead to 6-3.

The Saints brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. De Goti led off the inning by being hit by a pitch. Andrew Stevenson extended his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games with a double to left that sent De Goti to third. With one out, Contreras’ ground out scored De Goti to make it 6-4, but that was as close as the Saints would get as Williams struck out to end the game.

The same two teams meet in game five of a six-game series at CHS Field at 7:07 p.m. The Saint send RHP Randy Dobnak (1-1, 5.45) to the mound against Storm Chasers RHP Jonathan Heasley (1-4, 8.53). The game can be seen on the CW Network, the Bally Live app (free), and MiLB.TV (subscription), and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.