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Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks were unable to match Saints’ grand slam in the third inning and dropped last game of the four game series in front of the sellout crowd on Thursday night at the Newman Outdoor Field, in Fargo, ND.

The Saint Paul Saints were the first to pose any real threat on Thursday night. Angelo Songco reached second safely after Nic Jackson’s error in the centerfield, and moved to third during a double play. Brian Ernst, however, locked in to get Joey Becker to ground out to shortstop, and kept the score at 0.

Saints did not wait long to get things going. It was top third, when Sam Maus and Devin Thaut hit back-to-back singles, and Jake Taylor loaded the bases. Henry Wrigley would make Ernst pay, when he lifted a 2-1 pitch into the scoreboard for a grand slam, 4-0 Saints.

The Fargo-Moorhead attempted to get on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the fourth inning. With one out, both Nic Jackson and Petey Paramore were issued walks by Cole Nelson. Tim Alberts followed up with a hard single to left fielder Joe Bonfe, who gunned down Nic Jackson at home plate in an attempt to score, which left the score at 4-0.

Saints’ starting pitcher Nelson would keep dominating the Fargo-Moorhead’s line-up, as he allowed them to only get three base hits over five innings of scoreless work.

It wasn’t until the bottom of the 6th, when sellout crowd of 4,464 saw the home ‘Hawks add 3 runs on the scoreboard. Sawyer Carroll led the home team off with a walk, and C.J. Retherford found a gap in the left field for a double. Nic Jackson brought both of his teammates to score with a 2 RBI blooper over the shortstop’s head, cutting the St. Paul’s lead to 4-2.

With one man out, the RedHawks loaded the bases with Paramore’s and Tim Alberts’ back-to-back gap singles, and walk to Brandon Newton loaded the bases. With two walks, Penprase got the easy RBI with a 5-pitch walk, cutting the Saints’ lead to 4-3.

The power outage in the bottom of the ninth inning delayed the game by 27 minutes, when the stadium went dark at 10:05pm.

When the game resumed at 10:32pm,  the score would remain in visitor’s favor, as the RedHawks fell to 23-17, while the Saints improved to 22-16.

At the end of the game, Briant Ernst (2-4) took the loss, while Cole Nelson (2-4) was credited with the hard-fought win. In the save situation, Daniel Sattler shut the door and got his 8^th save of the year.

At the plate, Tim Alberts led the offense with a 2-for-4 night and no strikeouts.

The RedHawks will hit the road for four games in Winnipeg, and follow up with three games in St. Paul. Fargo-Moorhead will return to Newman Outdoor Field with a game on Independence Day against the Winnipeg Goldeys. Purchase your tickets for the fireworks night at www.fmredhawks.com or by calling (701) 235-6161.