The skies were cloudy as the St. Paul Saints started their home game against the Indianapolis Indians. But by mid-game the, the sky was bright and sunny making it a beautiful day at CHS Field. The only thing brighter than the sun this day was the joy of the Saints players. For the Saints dismantled the Indians 16-4 in a game that amounted to a “Home Run Derby” for the home team.
Their 16 runs were the most this season, topping their 13-4 win over Omaha on April 10. Eight of the nine starting Saints registered a hit, and five players had multi-games as the team smashed 16 hits on the day. In addition, eight out of the nine scored a run, and seven players drove in at least one run.
Saints Start Early
After St. Paul starting pitcher Zebby Matthews gave up a run in the top half of the first inning, the Saints bats went to work. After a single by Ryan Fitzgerald, a walk by Mickey Gaspar, and another single by Jeferson Morales, Indianapolis starter Carson Fulmer walked Yunior Severino to score a run, and the bases remained loaded. With St. Paul down to its last out of the inning, the red-hot Carson McCusker smashed a deep ball to right field for a grand slam homer putting the Saints up 5-1.
The locals would add to their total in the third when Mike Ford led off with a single and Armando Alvarez creamed a ball over the left field fence to put the Saints up 7-1. They would pad their lead in the fourth inning with Morales singling in Gaspar home to push St. Paul’s lead to 8-1
Indians Rock Tonkin But Saints Play Strong
Michael Tonkin, starting a rehab assignment before his return to the Minnesota Twins did not get a hospitable welcome back from the Indianapolis hitters. In the fifth inning, Darick Hall hit a solo shot to right to cut the Saints lead to 8-2. Later in the inning, Liover Peguero hit a two-run tater to left-center driving in Malcom Nunez and all of sudden, St. Paul had an uncomfortable 8-4 lead.
But Mickey Gaspar smoked a solo shot to right field in the sixth inning and the Saints increased their lead to 9-4. And St. Paul would pour it on in seventh and eighth innings tacking on seven more runs. Fitzgerald would knock in one in the seventh and Emmanuel Rodriguez made it 12-4 later in the inning with a two-run single. And in the eighth inning, Fitzgerald cranked a grand slam screamer to right field plating Ford, Alvarez, and Diego Cartaya to send the Saints home with a satisfying 16-4 win.
Final Stats
Kyle Bischoff would get the win in relief of Matthews and Travis Adams, with four innings of lights out relief work earns his second save of the season. Fulmer would take the loss giving up five hits, five walks, and seven earned runs in only three innings of work. And the Saints would pound Indianapolis reliever Yohan Ramirez and infielder Alika Willams for a combined seven hits and six earned runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
Among the hitting standouts for St. Paul were Fitzgerald with three hits, three runs scored, and five RBI, including the grand slam. Carson McCusker with one hit, a run scored, and four runs batted in with his grand slam homer. And Alvarez with two hits, three runs scored, and two RBI courtesy of his two-run dinger in the third inning. Leading the way for Indianapolis were Hall and Peguero with their two run home runs against Tonkin in the fifth
Looking Ahead
The Saints play the Indians seven more games in this series including two doubleheaders. The first doubleheader is tomorrow night with Game 1 beginning at 5:00 p.m. RHP Andrew Morris will start for St. Paul, and he will battle Indianapolis’ RHP Thomas Harrington. In Game 2 of the double-dip, the Saints will send RHP Cory Lewis to the mound while the Indians have not yet named their starter for the game.
