The St. Paul Saints scored two runs off hit batters and another on a throwing error in defeating the Iowa Cubs 4-3 on Saturday night at CHS Field.

The Saints improved to 3-1 in the Final Stretch, Triple-A baseball's new playoff format in which each team plays 10 games and the one with the best winning percentage wins the championship.

Mark Contreras and Ben Rortvedt drove in runs when they were hit by pitches, and Jimmy Kerrigan hit an RBI single.

Jason Garcia, Chris Nunn and Vinny Nottoli combined for three innings of shutout relief, with Nittoli picking up his first save of the season.

NEWS SERVICES