DES MOINES, IA (July 10, 2026) - The records don’t matter when you’ve played a team as much as the St. Paul Saints and Iowa Cubs have met. The Saints closest rival, the two teams have 140 times in five plus years entering Friday night. Despite being 13 games better in the win column entering the series, the Saints have struggled. For the first time since May 16-19, the Saints lost their third straight game falling 7-4 on Friday night at Principal Park. In the process their 75 consecutive games with an extra-base hit, longest in baseball this season, came to an end.
The first inning continued to be beneficial for the Saints, the highest scoring team in baseball in that inning, as they plated three. With Matt Wallner at first after a fielder’s choice groundout, Aaron Sabato walked. Hendry Mendez gave the Saints a 1-0 lead with an RBI single to right. With two outs, a wild pitch moved the runners up 90 feet and Gabby Gonzalez capitalized with a two-run single to left putting the Saints up 3-0. Gonzalez went 2-4 with two RBI.
The I-Cubs sent nine men to the plate in the second inning and grabbed the lead. The first four hitters reached as Owen Miller led off with a single to left and Moises Ballesteros followed with a walk. An RBI double by Christian Bethancourt got the I-Cubs on the board making it 3-1. James Triantos made it 3-2 with an RBI single to left. With one out Hayden Cantrelle ripped an RBI single to right tying the game at three. Brett Bateman’s bunt single plated a run giving the I-Cubs a 4-3 lead.
Walks hurt the Saints in the fifth. With one out Jonathon Long reached on a single that skipped off the second base bag and kicked off the glove of second baseman Cody Morissette. BJ Murray then walked and that was the night for Ty Langenberg. C.J. Culpepper came out of the bullpen and with two outs walked Ballesteros to load the bases. A wild pitch scored a run increasing the I-Cubs lead to 5-3. Bethancourt then singled off the leg of Culpepper plating Murray giving the I-Cubs a 6-3 lead.
With two outs and nobody on in the sixth the I-Cubs managed to score a run. They loaded the bases on a single to left by Bateman, a hit by pitch to Long, and a walk to Murray. Culpepper departed for Raul Brito who was greeted with an RBI single by Miller upping the I-Cubs lead to 7-3.
Without a hit, the Saints got a run in the seventh. With one out David Bañuelos was hit by a pitch and Walker Jenkins walked. A groundout moved the runners up and a wild pitch scored Bañuelos getting the Saints to within 7-4. That would be all for the Saints as the final eight men were retired, five on strikeouts.
The same two teams meet in game five of a six-game series on Saturday night at Principal Park at 6:08 p.m. The Saints send RHP John Klein (2-3, 5.80) to the mound against I-Cubs RHP Will Sanders (5-1, 4.46). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.