08/09/2004 10:30 AM - ST. PAUL, Minn. - On a windy night, the Kansas City T-Bones scored four runs in the first two innings but were held scoreless in the final seven as they fell 7-4 to the St. Paul Saints, dropping 1 1/2 games back of the first-place Joliet JackHammers.

The T-Bones got back-to-back singles from Rick Prieto and Chad Hill to start off the first inning. Ray Brown strode to the plate for Kansas City and seemingly fouled a ball off his foot. But the ball was ruled fair and Brown was put out at first base with both runners advancing a base. As the Saints were walking Eddie Pearson for a league-record twelfth intentional pass, Brown was tossed from the ballgame for arguing the call. With the bases loaded, Cody Nowlin doubled to right-center to plate three and give the T-Bones a 3-0 lead.

Kansas City would get their final run in the second inning when Prieto, who had doubled, scored on Hiroshi Fujimoto's single to right. The T-Bones loaded the bases, but Mike Brown grounded to right to end the threat.

St. Paul got on the board in the bottom of the third with a Chas Terni solo homer, and plated two more on Adam Olow's double to right-center and T Brown's single to right against starter Matt McClellan. McClellan allowed two more runs int the fourth inning on a Justin Hall single to center which gave the Saints a 5-4 lead.

The final margin came in the seventh inning, when the Saints opened up with three consecutive hits against McClellan (6-4). McClellan left the game with a runner on first, who was promptly erased on a T Brown double play ball served up by lefty Ryan Hader. Hader retired the final five batters he would see in the game.

The T-Bones loaded the bases in the top of the eighth, but reliever Chris Chavez got Fujimoto to ground out to short to end the threat. Kansas City wound up leaving eleven men on base in the game.

Game Notes: Chavez' save was a league-leading 22nd... Pearson's intentional walk was a league-record 12th... McClellan worked 6+ IP in the loss... RHP Mike Meyer earned the win, his sixth for the Saints... RHP Jon McDonald (8-5, 3.57) will face Saints LHP Cesar Martinez (2-0, 2.77) in a 7:05 start Tuesday.

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