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Game of the Week: D3 Calgary Outlaws at St. Paul Saints, September 26, 2038
5 Run Third Gives Saints Win Over Calgary; Still One Game Up
With control of the D3 West on the line and just three games remaining, St. Paul can’t afford a single misstep. The club remains a game ahead of the Salt Lake Gulls, but will close out their season against last place Calgary while the Gulls face the Sounds, so a cautious optimism hangs over Minnesota.
Though Calgary took the early lead in this one, scoring two on a bases-loaded single by Ryan Waldrop, the lead didn’t last long.
In the bottom of the third, Calgary’s John McAdams (6-16, 5.22 ERA coming in) was betrayed by his defense. A leadoff single from Kevin Fitzpatrick could have been erased with a double play on Sam Tracy’s grounder to short, but Waldrop - the hero of the second inning - booted it, giving St. Paul runners at first and second. Keith Piniero loaded them up with another base hit, and though McAdams got Steve Mershon on strikes, he couldn’t convert after that. A Bill McDaniel single scored two, and an out later the shortstop Motoi Honda roped a double into the LF corner scoring two more. A Joe Sessa double scored Honda to give St. Paul a 5-2 lead.
They added to it an inning later off reliever Yosef Hennessey, who had come in to spell McAdams with two outs in the third. Hennessey got Fitzpatrick to ground to second, and Sam Tracy to fly out to center, but Keith Piniero ran into one, blasting his fourth homer of the season. Steve Mershon added another as the Saints went back-to-back to put the score at 7-2.
Calgary tried to stage a late comeback, scoring one in the 7th on an RBI single from Mike Avison and another in the ninth off closer Pat Pipkin. With two outs, Joe Wrobel reached on an error at second, and pinch hitter Mike Jones pumped a double into right to put men at second and third. Another Mike Avison single scored Wrobel, but Jones held at third. David Durica took a fastball off the tricep to load them up, but young 3B Dave Quinonez - the go-ahead run - could manage only a pop fly to second, ending the game.
With the win, St. Paul improves to 80-72 while Calgary drops to 57-95, tied with Havana for the Federation’s worst record.
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