The Saints win it in the first.  The Kernels lose it in the ninth.

ST. PAUL 4, IOWA 3 IN ST. PAUL

The Saints scored three in the first, led 4-1 after two, and held on.

Batting stars:  Jose Miranda was 1-for-3 with a walk.  Gilberto Celestino was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching stars:  Drew Strotman pitched six innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out three.  Jason Garcia pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.  Chris Nunn pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.  Vinny Nittoli pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Johneshwy Fargas was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Erick Castillo was 2-for-4.  Blake Whitney struck out three in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.

Good stats:  Miranda is batting .338.  Nunn has an ERA of 2.16.

Bad stats:  Caleb Hamilton was 0-for-3 and is batting .136.  Strotman has an ERA of 5.09.  Garcia has an ERA of 7.20.

Record:  The Saints are 3-1 in the "final stretch", tied for sixth, one game behind Durham and Nashville.

QUAD CITIES 2, CEDAR RAPIDS 1 IN QUAD CITIES

Logan Porter hit a walkoff homer.

Batting stars:  Jair Camargo was 2-for-4.  Edouard Julien was 2-for-5.  Aaron Sabato was 1-for-5 with a home run.

Pitching stars:  Sawyer Gipson-Long struck out nine in 4.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks.  Osiris German struck out five in three shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Maikel Garcia was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Porter was 1-for-4 with a home run.  Charlie Neuweiler struck out five in 3.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and four walks.

Record:  The Kernels are tied in their best-of-five series, 2-2.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:05  Iowa at St. Paul (Andrew Albers, 6-4, 3.86)
6:30  Cedar Rapids (TBD) at Quad Cities