Charlie Barnes threw five no-hit innings and got plenty of offense to back him up as the St. Paul Saints beat the Iowa Cubs 8-1 at CHS Field on Saturday night.
Barnes walked four but struck out seven in lowering his ERA to 3.10. He departed after throwing 94 pitches.
Juan Minaya replaced Barnes in the fifth inning and gave up Iowa's first hit, a run-scoring ingle up the middle to Nick Martini. Four Saints pitchers combined on a five-hitter.
Brent Rooker drove in four runs, hitting an RBI double in the first inning and a three-run homer in the Saints' five-run fourth. Rooker now has 10 home runs in a Saints uniform. Drew Maggi also homered for the Saints, who finished with 13 hits, including three by Tomas Telis.
The series concludes Sunday.
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