Two batters into the game and the St. Paul Saints were hoping they had exorcised the Huntington Park demons. They entered play with a .327 winning percentage in Columbus, the lowest percentage of any ballpark in their six years as a Triple-A franchise. The struggles reared showed over the next eight innings as they walked 12 hitters, 10 of which scored, gave up five home runs, and tied a franchise record for largest margin of defeat in a 19-3 drubbing by the Columbus Clippers on Tuesday night.
Two batters into the game and the Saints grabbed the lead. Walker Jenkins led off by singling to left on the first pitch of the game. Then, on the first pitch to Ben Ross he drilled a two-run homer to left-center, his 14th of the season, putting the Saints up 2-0.
The lead lasted three batters into the bottom of the inning. The first two hitters reached on walks for the Clippers and David Fry delivered with a three-run homer to left-center, his sixth of the season, making it 3-2.
Things unraveled for the Saints in the second. A leadoff walk to Blake Perkins and a one out walk to Cooper Ingle put runners at first and second. With two outs Fry bounced an RBI single through the right side increasing the Clippers lead to 4-2. Kyle Manzardo made it 7-2 with a three-run homer to right, his third of the season. After a walk to Kahlil Watson, Ralphy Velazquez drilled a two-run homer to right-center, his 15th of the season, pushing the lead to 9-2.
With two outs and nobody on in the fourth the Clippers got two more with their fourth homer of the game. Manzardo doubled to right-center and Watson hit a two-run homer to left, his 15th of the season, increasing the lead to 11-2.
Gabby Gonzalez drilled a solo homer to left in the sixth, his 13th of the season, making it 11-3.
A leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning came in to score as Ingle got his third free pass, moved to second on a wild pitch, took third on a fly out, and scored on a groundout by Fry making it 12-3.
Four more walks in the eighth inning, all of which scored, a grand slam off position player Tanner Schobel by Milán Tolentino highlighted a seven run inning for the Clippers that capped off the 19-3 Saints loss.
The 12 walks by the Saints were the second most on the season, only behind the 20 walks on March 31 at CHS Field against the Worcester Red Sox, and tied for the third most in in a nine inning game in franchise history.
The same two teams meet in game two of a six-game series at Huntington Park on Wednesday night at 6:05 p.m. (CT). The Saints send RHP Ricky Castro (3-2, 5.02) to the mound against Clippers RHP Trenton Denholm (9-4, 4.78).
(info courtesy of Saints Baseball)
