The St. Paul Saints saw their four-game winning streak come to an end on Wednesday night, falling 8-3 to the Columbus Clippers at CHS Field in a game that started with promise but unraveled late.

For the first five innings, everything was going according to plan for the Saints. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead, thanks to some timely hitting in the middle of the lineup. Hendry Mendez sparked the offense with an RBI double in the fourth inning, followed by an RBI single from Aaron Sabato to make it 2-0. Ryan Kreidler added another run in the fifth with a double of his own, giving St. Paul a comfortable cushion.

Starting pitcher Trent Baker was sharp early, tossing three scoreless innings to keep the Clippers off the board. But the bullpen couldn't maintain the momentum. Reliever Andrew Bash allowed two runs over three innings, and things got worse from there. C.J. Culpepper surrendered three runs in just one inning of work, while John Brebbia was charged with three more runs while recording only two outs. Dan Altavilla also struggled, allowing two inherited runners to score as Columbus stormed back.

Despite the loss, Mendez stood out at the plate, collecting three hits to lead the Saints' offense. The team will look to bounce back quickly as they host Columbus again on Thursday at 6:37 p.m. CDT, aiming to start a new streak.