Pitching Dominates As Saints Grab 2-1 Win Over Indianapolis

_ST. PAUL, MN _*(May 12, 2023) - *The goal for the St. Paul Saints on Friday night at CHS Field was for Brent Headrick to start and Randy Dobnak to piggyback and finish. Mix in an inning for Austin Schulfer and the Saints figured out the perfect recipe to defeat the Indianapolis Indians 2-1 in front of 4,459.

The Saints got both their runs in the first inning and hung on from there. With one out Jose Miranda walked. Trevor Larnach singled back up the middle sending Miranda to third. With two outs, a balk forced in Miranda and sent Larnach to second giving the Saints a 1-0 lead. Matt Wallner’s RBI single to right scored Larnach made it 2-0.

Headrick retired the side in order and faced the minimum through two innings after erasing a leadoff second inning walk with a double play.

The Indians scored their lone run in the third courtesy of a leadoff home run from Malcom Nuñez, his third of the season, cutting the lead to 2-1.

Headrick put a couple of runners on in the fourth with a one out single and a walk, but he struck out Mark Mathias and Aaron Shackelford to end the inning. Headrick went 5.0 innings allowing one run on three hits while walking two and striking out six.

Schulfer tossed a perfect sixth before turning the game over to Dobnak. The first batter he faced in the seventh, Ryan Vilade, doubled to left. After a groundout moved Vilade to third, Dobnak got Shackelford to hit a shallow fly ball to right and Vilade had to hold at third. Nuñez then flew out to right to end the inning.

The biggest play of the game came in the eighth inning when Josh Bissonette took a 3-1 pitch for ball four. The Saints challenged the pitch, and the call was overturned. Instead of a walk the count went to 3-2 and Dobnak struck out Bissonette when he chased a slider out of the zone. The next two hitters reached on a walk and single, but Dobnak got a fly out and pop out to end the inning.

Dobnak pitched a perfect ninth and went 3.0 shutout innings allowing two hits while walking one and striking out one in picking up his first save of the season.

The same two teams meet in game five of a six-game series at 6:37 p.m. at CHS Field. The Saints will send RHP Aaron Sanchez (1-3, 5.61) to the mound against Indians LHP Kent Emanuel (1-1, 9.88). The game can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities, the Bally Live app (free), and MiLB.TV (subscription), and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.