Saints Pitching Shines Brightest In Afternoon Contest With 6-2 Win Over Storm Chasers

ST. PAUL, MN (June 29, 2022) - After giving up 11 runs on Tuesday night, the St. Paul Saints pitching staff kept the Omaha Storm Chasers off balance all game long. Cole Sands was magnificent in his 5.0 innings of work as four Saints pitchers recorded 13 strikeouts in a 6-2 victory on Wednesday afternoon at CHS Field in front of 7,933.

Sands worked out of a mini jam in the second, getting Jimmy Govern to ground into a fielder’s choice with runners on the corners and two outs.

The lone mistake Sands made came on the first pitch of the third inning as Dairon Blanco put the Storm Chasers on the board with a solo homer to left-center, his sixth of the season, making it 1-0.

From that point on, Sands struck out six of the nine outs he recorded, allowing just a two-out infield single in the fifth. He finished his day fanning Brewer Hicklen to end the fifth. Sands went 5.0 innings allowing one run on four hits while walking three and striking out seven. He threw 89 pitches, 52 for strikes.

The Saints responded in the bottom of the third inning as Spencer Steer reached on a one out triple when the second baseman Gabriel Cancel and right fielder Nate Eaton collided on a pop up to shallow right. Jake Cave tied the game at one with a single to right-center. Cave, who singled in his first at bat, has now reached base safely in 43 consecutive games, second longest in Minor League Baseball this season. It matches the longest streak by a Twins Minor Leaguer since Ramon Santana reached in 43 consecutive games in 2006 for the Dominican Summer League Twins. With two outs, Roy Morales singled Cave to third. A wild pitch scored Cave, sending Morales to second, making it 2-1 Saints. After a walk to Caleb Hamilton, Jermaine Palacios gave the Saints a 3-1 lead with a double down the left field line.

The Saints doubled their run output in the fifth as they plated three runs. With one out, Caleb Hamilton reached on an infield single to second. Palacios collected his third hit of the game with a single to right, putting runners at first and second. John Andreoli brought both runners home with a double to center making it 5-1 as Andreoli advanced to third on the throwing error to the plate. Elliot Soto reached on a fielder’s choice and Andreoli scored on the fielding error by the third baseman Michael Massey on the play increasing the lead to 6-1.

Meanwhile, the Saints bullpen was strong as Juan Minaya allowed just one hit in 2.0 scoreless innings of relief while walking one and striking out two.

Hunter Wood tossed a scoreless eighth allowing one hit while walking one and striking out two.

The only reliever to allow a run was Ian Hamilton in the ninth, but he didn’t allow a hit. A couple of walks and a wild pitch led to the run as Hamilton struck out a pair.

The 27 strikeouts for the Saints over the last two games is the second most on the season, only topped by the 30 they recorded on May 7 and 8 vs. Iowa.

The same two teams meet in game three of a six-game series on Thursday night at CHS Field at 7:07 p.m. The Saints send RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-2, 6.93) to the mound against Storm Chasers RHP Carlos Hernandez (1-4, 4.73). The game can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities, and MiLB.TV and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.