ST. PAUL, MN (June 18, 2026) - The St. Paul Saints slim playoff hopes came to an end on Thursday evening in game one of a doubleheader. Needing to win out and get some help, the Saints gave up 10 runs over the final four innings and fell 12-4 to the Omaha Storm Chasers at CHS Field. With the loss, the Saints have officially been eliminated from the first half playoff contention with four games remaining.
The Storm Chasers wasted little time getting on the board. Josh Rojas led off the game with a single to right and took third on a double to right-center from Peyton Wilson. With one out a throwing error by shortstop Ben Ross allowed both runs to score, putting the Storm Chasers up 2-0.
The Saints got a run in the second without the aid of a hit. Ross led off with a walk and stole second. With one out a walk to Tanner Schobel followed by a hit by pitch to Henry Kusiak loaded the bases. Noah Cardenas made it 2-1 with a sacrifice fly to left.
Gabby Gonzalez knotted the game at two in the third with a solo homer to left-center, his 11th of the season.
With two outs and nobody on in the fourth the Storm Chasers plated four en route to 10 unanswered runs. Gavin Cross started the rally with a single to right followed by a walk to Luke Maile. Kevin Newman’s double to right scored Cross giving the Storm Chasers a 3-2 lead. Rojas delivered a big blow, a three-run blast to right, his eighth of the season, increasing the lead to 6-2.
Kendry Rojas made his first Major League rehab appearance in the sixth inning. The first three hitters reached on a single to first by Drew Waters, a single to center by Cross, and a walk to Maile. With one out Rojas dropped an RBI fly ball single into center that Alan Roden had trouble seeing giving the Storm Chasers a 7-2 lead. Wilson made it 9-2 with a two-run double off the wall in right. An RBI groundout from Brett Squires and an RBI single from Lugo made it 11-2. Rojas went 1.1 innings allowing five runs on five hits while walking one and striking out one. He threw 33 pitches, 22 for strikes. He threw 13 fastballs averaging 96.2 mph and topping out at 96.9 mph.
Cross added the exclamation point for the Storm Chasers with a solo homer to right, his third of the season, making it 12-2.
The Saints showed a little fight in the bottom of the inning as Cardenas hit a two-out solo homer to left-center, his fourth of the season, making it 12-3. Roden walked, Gonzalez singled him to second, and Wallner knocked him home with a single to left-center getting the Saints to within 12-4. That’s where the playoff hoped would end, however, for the Saints.