No Apologies Necessary As Saints Drop Wingnuts 6-3

ST. PAUL, MN (July 6, 2010) - It was the Night of 1,000 Apologies at Midway Stadium on Tuesday night, but the St. Paul Saints performance on the field sure didn't require one. The home team wasted no time getting on the board in the opening game of the second half of the season, putting up five runs in the first inning against Wichita Wingnuts starter Luke Massetti in a 6-3 win in front of a crowd 3, 335.

Brandon Carter was the catalyst in the opening frame, smacking a single to right field and following it with a stolen base. Jason Cooper would drive Carter home with a two-run home run, his sixth of the season, and second in as many games. With the Saints leading 2-0, Brent Krause rewrote the record books yet again, this time with a franchise-leading 12th career triple, surpassing Justin Hall (2003-05). He would later strike out for the 191st time in his Saints career, topping David Kennedy's (1994, 97-99) franchise record. Saints newcomer Chad Gabriel would follow Krause's record-breaking hit with a single, making it 3-0 Saints. Massetti's opening inning would get even rougher two batters later when Josh Petersen doubled down the right field line, scoring Gabriel and Flint Wipke, who had singled the at-bat before.

The Saints led 5-0 after one inning and it appeared that the offense was poised for a field day against the Wingnuts pitching staff, however, Massetti would settle down and end up turning in a respectable outing, giving his team a chance to fight back in the later innings.

Ryan Patterson's two-out single against Saints starter Jake Schmidt got the Wingnuts on the board, with Josh Horn scoring to make it 5-1. Patterson's hit served as the only blemish in what was a great outing from Schmidt, who scattered five hits over 6.0 innings to continue his impressive rookie season.

Run-scoring hits from Mario Delgado and Steve Pearson would cut the Saints lead to two runs in the eighth inning, but a solo home run by Flint Wipke in the bottom half made it 6-3.

The three-run lead was plenty for Saints reliever Matt Meyer, who struck out the side in the ninth, earning him his second save in his short career so far in St. Paul.

The Saints and Wingnuts will play the second game of the three-game series Wednesday night at Midway Stadium at 7:05 p.m. The Saints will send LHP Ryan Morse (3-2, 4.10) to the mound, while RHP Sean Teague (1-2, 2.66) will start for the Wingnuts. It's Baseball Can Save A Marriage Night at the ballpark. You can watch the game on the Saints Cable Network (check saintsbaseball.com for the channel in your area) and listen to it on Relevant Radio 1330.

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