Saints lose season opener after 13th-inning power outage

They turned the lights off on the St. Paul Saints on Thursday night, but the game wasn't over yet.

The team's 2019 season opener ended in a 5-4, 13-inning loss to American Association expansion team Milwaukee before an announced 8,068 at CHS Field. The Milkmen scored an unearned run on Nolan Earley's sacrifice fly in the top of the 13th inning, and two pitches into the bottom of the inning, the power went out.

The game resumed not long after midnight following a 17-minute delay, and the Saints put two on before Michael Scimanico retired Joey Wong on a popout to end the game in 4 hours, 44 minutes. It was the fifth-longest game in Saints history and the longest opener in terms of both time and innings.

Max Murphy and Brady Shoemaker hit solo home runs for the Saints, who rallied to tie the score after the Milkmen scored four times in the top of the first inning.

The Milkmen took the lead in the 13th when they loaded the bases with nobody out. Cesar Valera singled, Garrett Copeland reached on a sacrifice because of a throwing error by pitcher Ryan Schlosser and Dan Ward hit an infield single. After a strikeout of Sam Dexter, Earley's sacrifice fly to left drove in the decisive run.