June 26 Afternoon
St. Paul 17, Lincoln 8
St. Paul jumped on Lincoln early, with six runs in the third and seven in the fourth to beat the Saltdogs, 17-8. The Saints’ offensive outburst, which followed a 40 minute rain delay, was highlighted by back-to-back-to-back home runs in the third inning. St. Paul had already scored in the inning before Brad Boyer (right) went deep for a three-run home run. Willie Cabrera (center) and Brandon Tripp (left) followed up immediately with solo shots of their own.
The trio of Boyer, Cabrera and Tripp powered the Saints all afternoon. Cabrera and Tripp each went deep again in the game. Tripp homered in the fourth, giving him long balls in back-to-back innings. He also doubled in the contest and finished 4-for-5 with three RBI. Cabrera hit a three run home run in the seventh for his second of the game. He also doubled and drove in five runs to finish 3-for-5. Boyer also drove in five runs, ending the game 2-for-4.
Fargo-Moorhead 4, Newark 2
A ninth-inning Bears rally fell just short, as Fargo-Moorhead topped Newark, 4-2. The Bears put the tying run into scoring position with nobody out. Then loaded the bases with two outs, but RedHawks reliever Chase Johnson got out of the tough jam to secure the win.
Newark’s rally began when Carlos Guzman reached on an error. The next batter, Jamar Walton (pictured), doubled to put runners on second and third to start the inning. Johnson recorded the next two outs with a fly out and a strikeout, but walked Elvin Millan, Jr. to load the bases. With the tying run on second and the winning run on first, Johnson struck out Travis Weaver to win the game for Fargo-Moorhead.
Johnson earned his 10th save of the year, placing him second in the American Association behind Lincoln’s RJ Rodriguez. The RedHawks’ starter, Taylor Stanton, surrendered two runs over 5.1 innings to pick up his fourth win.
Walton had the strongest game for the Bears’, offensively. He drove in both runs with a two-run home run in the fourth. Walton also doubled and walked in the game to finish 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Photos courtesy of Emily Robertson/St. Paul Saints