Columbus Clippers vs St. Paul

St. Paul actually struck first. Walker Jenkins singled to lead off the game and Ben Ross followed with a two-run home run to left-centre, his 14th of the season, staking the Saints to a 2-0 lead before the Clippers had taken a swing.

Columbus answered immediately in the bottom of the first. David Fry crushed a three-run homer — the first of five Clippers long balls on the night — to flip the lead to 3-2.

The second inning turned the game into a rout. Columbus sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six runs. Kyle Manzardo followed Fry's lead with a three-run jack into the Pedialyte Porch in right field. Ralphy Velazquez then launched a two-run missile over the centre-field wall, his 15th home run of the season with the Clippers, extending the lead to 9-2.

Kahlil Watson made it 11-2 in the fourth inning with a solo home run to left-centre, his 15th of the campaign.

Gabriel Gonzalez answered for St. Paul in the sixth with his 13th home run, but Fry added his fifth RBI of the evening on a groundout in the bottom half to make it 11-3.

The Clippers poured it on in the eighth with a seven-run outburst, capped by Milan Tolentino's grand slam that closed the scoring at 19-3.

St. Paul starter Ryan Gallagher never recovered from the Clippers' six-run second inning. The right-hander lasted just 1⅔ innings, charged with nine runs on five hits and five walks. His inability to throw strikes — five free passes in less than two frames — gave Columbus repeated opportunities with runners on base, and the middle of the Clippers order punished every mistake.

David Fry (Columbus) — Player of the Match. Fry homered in the first, singled in a run in the second, and drove home another with a groundout in the sixth for a game-high five RBIs. He is now hitting .294 with six home runs in eight games since joining the Clippers.

Kyle Manzardo (Columbus) — Three-run homer in the second, part of a 2-for-4 night.

Milan Tolentino (Columbus) — Grand slam in the eighth highlighted a 7-run inning.

Austin Peterson (Columbus) — The right-hander (2-8) worked five solid innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out six.

Ben Ross (St. Paul) — Opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first, accounting for two of St. Paul's three runs.

The 19 runs came on 13 hits, underlining the damage done by free passes. St. Paul pitchers issued 12 walks on the night, with Woo-Suk Go alone walking six batters in a single inning of relief. The Clippers' 5-for-12 night with runners in scoring position tells only part of the story — the walks kept the bases full regardless of hit production. Columbus also racked up five home runs, meaning 11 of their 19 runs came via the long ball.

St. Paul managed eight hits but stranded nine runners — an offence that was productive early but could not keep pace once the Clippers bullpen settled after the first.

The victory improved Columbus to 64-54 on the season, keeping them in the International League second-half race. St. Paul dropped to 69-51, missing a chance to build on their recent momentum after sweeping three straight from Iowa. The series continues Wednesday with a 6:05 PM CDT first pitch at Huntington Park.

This was a complete annihilation from the second inning onward. Columbus showed why their lineup is dangerous when healthy — five different players homered, and they punished every St. Paul pitcher who could not find the strike zone. For the Saints, the 12 walks are a concern that needs immediate correction if this series is to turn around.