Saints Down To Final Out, Come Back For 6-4 Win In 10 Over Storm Chasers

ST. PAUL, MN (July 20, 2021) - The St. Paul Saints were down to their final out in the top of the 10th inning. Drew Maggi, who is second in Triple-A East in slugging in the month of July, tied the game up with one swing of the bat. The Saints scored two in the 10th and took down the Midwest Division leaders, the Omaha Storm Chasers, 6-4 in 10 innings at Werner Park. The win sends the Saints to 36-34, the first time they’ve been two games over .500 since they were 15-13 on June 4.

With the Saints down 4-3 in the ninth and two outs, Maggi clubbed a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall to tie the game at four.

In the bottom of the ninth the Storm Chasers threatened as reliever Kyle Barraclough walked the first two hitters of the inning. Andrew Vasquez took over and got Kyle Isbel to ground into a fielder’s choice erasing Edward Olivares at second. Vasquez then fanned Sebastian Rivero and got Meibrys Viloria to ground out to second to end the inning.

In the 10th, with JT Riddle the runner at second to start the inning, Jose Miranda ripped a one out RBI double to left scoring Riddle and giving the Saints a 5-4 lead. Miranda went 2-5 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored. Jimmy Kerrigan walked, and two batters later, Kyle Garlick, on Major League rehab, roped an RBI single to left scoring Miranda to give the Saints a two-run cushion. It was Garlick’s lone hit of the game as he went 1-5 with an RBI.

Ian Hamilton closed out the game in the 10th by striking out Angelo Castellano, and after a walk to Rudy Martin, fanning Lucius Fox, and getting the Kansas City Royals top prospect, Bobby Witt Jr. in his Triple-A debut, to fly out harmlessly to center to end the game.

The Saints had three Major League rehabbers in the lineup and they all contributed as Rob Refsnyder clubbed a solo homer over the right-center field wall in the first, his third with the Saints and first in a Major League rehab. He went 1-2 with a home run, RBI and run scored.

The Storm Chasers knotted it in the bottom of the inning when Witt Jr. singled to center with one out. Nick Pratto walked and then was erased on a fielder’s choice by Olivares. A walk to Isbel loaded the bases and a Chandler Shepherd wild pitch scored Witt Jr. tying the game at one. Shepherd went 5.0 strong innings allowing one run on five hits while walking two and striking out a season tying high six.

In the sixth the Saints regained the lead as Damek Tomscha led off with a single off the third baseman Castellano’s glove. Miranda doubled him to third, extending his streak of reaching base safely to all 19 games he’s played. With one out Jake Cave made it 3-1 with a two-run single to center. Cave went 3-4 with a double and two RBI.

The Storm Chasers, however, were relentless all game and made it 3-2 in the bottom of the inning as Isbel led off with a single to right-center. Rivero’s infield single to third put runners at the corners. Two batters later a sacrifice fly from Castellano cut the Saints lead to one.

The Storm Chasers took the lead in the seventh as Pratto reached on a one out single. With two outs, Isbel singled Pratto to third. After Isbel stole third, Rivero’s two-run single off the glove of Tomscha at first gave the Storm Chasers their first lead of the game. But as the Saints proved for the second time in two games, a comeback would be in their future.

The same two teams meet in the second game of the six-game series on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. The Saints send RHP Josh Winder (1-0, 3.75) to the mound against Storm Chasers RHP Brandon Barker (0-0, 4.05). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.