Louie Varland has tried to turn his season around for the St. Paul Saints since giving up a career-high 12 runs on June 23. Saturday in Iowa was another step.

Varland (4-8) pitched six scoreless innings for St. Paul in a 5-1 victory against the Iowa Cubs. Varland allowed five hits and one walk in his outing, and he struck out eight batters. He’s allowed no runs in three of his last four starts.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. had two hits and drove in a run for the Saints, while Wynton Bernard doubled and had two RBIs as St. Paul won for the fourth time in five games against Iowa.

Varland was dominating on Saturday, except against the leadoff hitters, who reached in each of the first four innings. But Varland quickly dispatched the Cubs after.

Bernard’s two-run double opened a 3-0 lead in the third inning after Jair Camargo had plated the first run of the game earlier in the inning with an RBI groundout. Two more runs came across in the sixth as Dalton Shuffield had an RBI double and Keirsey drove in a run with a single.

The Cubs’ lone run came in the eighth off Saints reliever Matt Bowman.

The series concludes Sunday with a 1:08 p.m. Central start.

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