Bats Extend Winning Streak On Walk-Off Wild Pitch

After letting a lead slip away in the eighth inning, the Louisville Bats responded to force extra innings and ultimately win 5-4 in 10 innings over the St. Paul Saints on Saturday night, extending their season-long winning streak to six games.

In the top of the 10^th, the Bats turned to reliever Stevie Branche (W, 2-1) and he was excellent. Following a leadoff walk that put runners on first and second, Branche retired the next three hitters he faced with a strike out and a couple fly outs to strand the go-ahead run in scoring position.

Erik Gonzalez began the bottom of the 10^th as the Bats’ designated runner on second. Two intentional walks sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases with one out and Levi Jordan at the plate. On a 1-2 pitch, Saints reliever Diego Castillo (L, 0-2) fired a wild pitch to the backstop, allowing Gonzalez to scamper home from third with the winning run.

The game began similarly well for the Bats. The offense got off and running, literally, in the bottom of the first. Jacob Hurtubise got it started with a four-pitch walk from Saints starter Randy Dobnak. Hurtubise then stole second, his fourth straight game with a stolen base, and advanced to third on a wild throw from Saints catcher Patrick Winkel. Livan Soto cashed in with an RBI single to left, putting the Bats on the board first.

Making his first start since June 27 after attending the birth of his first child, Bats southpaw Brandon Leibrandt allowed a single in both the first an second inning without a run coming home. Following a one, two, three inning in the third, the Saints broke through in the fourth. A Bats error on Winkel’s ground ball allowed Chris Williams to score. Alex Isola’s RBI single then put the visitors up 2-1.

Leibrandt was pulled after four innings allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts. The Bats got him off the hook in the bottom of the frame on Blake Dunn’s sixth home run of the season, a solo shot to deep left-center to tie the game at two.

Grant Gavin was first out of the Louisville bullpen for his second appearance with the team and navigated around a leadoff walk in the fifth for a clean frame. Louisville’s offense jumped back in front in the bottom of the fifth. Hernan Perez reached on an error, advanced to second on a ground out, and moved to third on a single from Hurtubise. Dunn restored the lead with an RBI single through the left side of the infield for a 3-2 advantage.

A double play erased a leadoff single to get Gavin through the sixth. In his first relief outing with the Bats, Gavin pitched two scoreless innings, walking two. In the bottom half, Conner Capel doubled the Louisville lead with a solo home run to left, his 12^th of the season and second in as many nights.

Brooks Kriske breezed through the Saints in the seventh. He got two outs in the eighth but departed with a runner at second and two outs. Alan Busenitz entered and struggled to get the third out. Anthony Prato’s RBI single made it a 4-3 game. Winkel walked to keep the inning going. Isola tied the game with an RBI single, giving the visitors two runs with two outs to get even. Busenitz and Saints reliever Jeff Brigham traded zeroes in the ninth, sending the game to extra innings, where the Bats would emerge victorious.

The six-game winning is the first for the Bats since August 1-6, 2023. Dunn went 2-for-4 with the home run, two RBI, and a run scored. Soto was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, walking twice as well. The win is the Bats’ third one-run victory in the first five games of the series against St. Paul.

The Bats (47-43, 9-7 second half) will look to complete a six-game sweep of the Saints (44-47, 6-11 second half) in the series finale on Sunday afternoon. First pitch at Louisville Slugger Field is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will be on the call for 1450/96.1 WXVW.