Alcántara powers Cubs comeback, Iowa stuns Saints 6-5

Kevin Alcántara did more than pad a stat line Friday night at CHS Field. His two biggest swings turned a 5-2 deficit into a 6-5 Iowa Cubs victory over the St. Paul Saints, with four RBIs that changed the game’s direction in the middle innings.

Iowa had already shown some fight before Alcántara stepped in. Jonathon Long put the Cubs on the board with an RBI double in the first inning, and James Triantos added another run in the second on a fielder’s choice. But St. Paul answered with a three-run third and a run in the fourth to move ahead 5-2, building its cushion with an early barrage of extra-base hits. Walker Jenkins tied a franchise record with three doubles, part of a Saints start that produced five doubles through the first four innings.

That opening push made the game feel like one St. Paul could control, especially with the home club pressing Iowa from the first inning on. Instead, Alcántara forced the issue. He hit a two-run homer in the fifth, his 10th of the season, to pull Iowa within 5-4 and flip the pressure back onto the Saints. Two innings later, he delivered again with a two-run double that gave Iowa the lead for good at 6-5.

The contrast told the story. St. Paul had all the energy early, but the Saints managed only two hits over the final five innings as the Cubs kept the game within reach long enough for one bat to take over. Alcántara’s swings also gave Iowa a win built on timely contact, not just one big blast, with Long’s double and Triantos’ RBI helping set the stage for the comeback.

The Saints still had one last chance in the ninth, putting the tying runs aboard before the game ended, but Iowa held on to improve to 15-15. St. Paul fell to 13-17 in Game 4 of the six-game series, which continued Saturday afternoon at 2:07 p.m. CT. The result came after St. Paul won the opener 9-5 on April 28 and Iowa answered with an 11-4 win on April 29, another reminder that this series has swung as sharply as Alcántara’s night.