Saints' Comeback Tops Fairfax 9-6
Posted July 24, 2017
By Dana Melius, St. Peter Herald
St. Peter broke open a tie game with a burst of doubles and a three-run eighth inning to top Fairfax in River Valley Action play Friday at Veterans Field.
Three straight doubles by Saints' batters provided the winning margin. Ty Kaus led off with a double to right-center field, and Jovan Rodriguez followed with a laser to the base of the fence in left to score Kaus with the eventual winning run. Shea Roehrkasse drove home Rodriguez with the third Saints' double in a row.
For good measure, St. Peter scored an insurance run on a Fairfax throwing error.
St. Peter got on the scoreboard first with two runs in the second inning. Ryan Kapsner and Jayme Munsterman led off with singles, and a walk to Billy Hanson loaded the bases. Jeff Menk drove in the game's first run with an RBI fielder's choice; another infield RBI grounder by Jordan Wilmes scored the second.
But Fairfax limited the damage one batter later when the Cards turned a double play to end the inning.
Fairfax took a 3-2 lead in the third thanks to five hits against St. Peter starting pitcher Jeff Wenner. Consecutive singles by Rafael Herrera, Zach Johnson and Kyle Huiras loaded the bases. Scott Palmer's single scored two, and Austin Black's single put the Cardinals in the lead.
Two more Fairfax runs in the top of the fourth inning made it 5-2. A lead-off walk to Donte Neidecker, the Cardinals' number nine hitter, set the table fo Fairfax. Huiras followed quickly with an RBI double, and he scampered home on David Herrera's RBI single.
Lacina sensed a momentum shift and informed his players that "it's getting late already," despite St. Peter heading into the just the bottom of the fourth.
The Saints came through with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Three one-out singles by Hanson, Menk and Wilmes loaded the base, and Steve Nessler launched a long sacrifice fly to center field for one run. But another long drive off the bat of Kapsner was hauled in by the Cardinal center fielder for the third out.
In the fifth, St. Peter scored one more to pull to within 5-4. Singles by Rodriguez and Roehrkasse started the inning. After two St. Peter outs, Hanson's RBI single closed the Saints to within one run. But after a walk to Menk, the Saints couldn't push across a go-ahead run and left the bases loaded in the fifth.
A two-run sixth inning regained a 6-5 lead for the Saints. Nessler led off with a single and was sacrificed to second on a Kaus bunt. After Rodriguez grounded out, Roehrkasse came through with an RBI single. And Kapsner, who had stung the ball all game with little to show for it, finally saw his liner scoot down the right field line for a run-scoring triple and the lead.
Still, the Cardinals weren't done. St. Peter relief pitcher Jesse Anderson, who took over for Wenner in the fifth and had tossed two 1-2-3 innings, gave up his first hit, a single to Huiras, who then stole second. He scored on an RBI single by David Herrera and it was tied again at 6-6.
But the Saints' big eighth inning but the game away for the 16-9 St. Peter team. The Saints improved to 10-2 in River Valley League action.
Anderson picked up the win for St. Peter, tossing the final five innings, striking out three. David Herrera took the loss for Fairfax in relief of starter Zach Johnson, who pitched the first six innings.
St. Peter's bats came alive through the game, as he Saints pounded out 15 hits. Roehrkasse led the way with three hits and a pair of RBIs. Nessler, Rodriguez, Kapsner, Hanson and Wilmes each added two hits and an RBI.
Kyle Huiras led Fairfax with three hits. Black, Palmer, Rafael Herrera and Cody Huiras all had two hits apiece.
St. Peter is scheduled to wrap up its regular season with three games. The Saints were to play at Waseca for a July 26 non-league contest, then follow with a key 7:30 p.m. Friday match-up against first-place Jordan.
On Sunday, St. Peter ends regular season play with a 6 p.m. game at Belle Plaine. Playoffs are scheduled to open Aug. 4.
