Two Out Trouble: Saints Falls To Indianapolis 10-3

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (September 19, 2021) - The St. Paul Saints pitching staff just couldn’t get the final out of the inning. They allowed nine, two-out runs and were beaten in the final game of the series against the Indianapolis Indians 10-3 on Sunday afternoon at Victory Field.

The Indians jumped out to the lead in the first as Saints starter Drew Strotman walked the leadoff hitter, Tucupita Marcano. He stole second and scored on a two-out single by Phillip Evans making it 1-0.

The Saints tied it in the second with Gilberto Celestino at first, Beau Sulser’s errant pickoff attempt allowed Celestino to race around to third. BJ Boyd’s RBI groundout knotted the game at one.

The Indians grabbed the lead in the bottom of the inning as Diego Castillo reached on a one out single to third. Jared Oliva was then hit by a pitch and Taylor Davis’ RBI single to right-center put the Indians up 2-1.

Drew Stankiewicz tied it for the Saints in the third depositing a solo homer down the right field line, his second of the season, locking the game at two.

The Saints took their lone lead of the day in the fourth as Mitch Garver led off with a single to left-center. With two outs BJ Boyd singled Garver to second. Jimmy Kerrigan followed with an RBI double giving the Saints a 3-2 lead.

The Indians put up the first crooked inning of the day when they scored three in the fifth, all with two outs. With runners at first and second and two outs, a passed ball moved the runners to second and third. Three straight RBI singles by Chris Sharpe, Marcano, and Michael Chavis gave the Indians a 5-3 lead.

The Indians kept pouring it on in the fifth as Strotman faced the first two hitters before coming out of the game. He walked Evans and gave up a single to Hunter Owen. Yennier Cano took over and walked Diego Castillo to load the bases. Cano fanned the next two, but then walked Sharpe to force in a run and make it 6-3. An RBI single by Marcano and a two-run single from Chavis gave the Indians a 9-3 lead.

The Indians finished off their two out run scoring barrage in the sixth. With two outs and nobody on, Castillo reached on an infield single, Ka’ai Tom was hit by a pitch, and Davis singled to left. Sharpe then hit a grounder to short that Stankiewicz fielded, but the ball slipped out of his hand as he went to throw to second allowing Castillo to score making it 10-3 Indians.

The Saints have Monday and Tuesday off and return to action for the “Final Stretch,” a 10-game playoff for all of Triple-A. They begin a five-game series against the Iowa Cubs on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. at CHS Field. Both teams are TBA.