Saints Ride Seven Run First Inning To 9-6 Victory Over Bats

ST. PAUL, MN (May 4, 2023) - Finally. It’s been nearly one full month since the St. Paul Saints have won back-to-back games dating back to April 5-6 in Nashville. Since then, the Saints have had six opportunities to win back-to-back games, but haven’t been able to pull out the second win until Saturday afternoon. They rode a seven run first inning to a 9-6 win over the Louisville Bats at CHS Field in front of 5,040. The win improves the Saints to 13-17 on the season.

In one of the more bizarre and lengthy first innings this season for the Saints they sent 11 men to the plate, faced two different pitchers, and saw 74 total pitches in a 35-minute half inning. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. led off the inning with an 11 pitch at bat that ended in a single to right. Anthony Prato then hit a ground ball up the middle that was fielded by shortstop Livan Soto, but as he tried to flip the ball to second with his glove, the ball slid out and went towards the pitcher’s mound. The error allowed Keirsey Jr. to take third. Matt Wallner’s sacrifice fly to left gave the Saints a 1-0 lead. Michael Helman singled to left and Tony Kemp walked to load the bases. Yunior Severino followed with a walk forcing in a run making it 2-0 and chasing starter Christian Roa after 37 pitches. Reliever Tyler Gilbert wasn’t any more successful. After getting a strikeout, he walked Chris Williams and Diego Castillo, each with the bases loaded, increasing the lead to 4-0. A wild pitch with the bases loaded scored Severino giving the Saints a 5-0 lead. The final runs in the inning came by way of a two-run single to left by Keirsey Jr. for a 7-0 lead.

The Bats got a run in the second on a solo homer by Michael Trautwein, his third of the season, making it 7-1.

In the fourth, the Saints got the run back when Prato singled to center and scored on a one out double by Helman increasing the lead to 8-1.

The Bats tried to make it a game in the fifth scoring three runs to get within four. Peyton Burdick led off with a walk. He moved to second on a wild pitch and with two outs took third when Erik González reached on a throwing error by the shortstop Helman. That error proved costly as TJ Friedl doubled to right scoring Burdick to make it 8-2. Blake Dunn’s two-run single off the glove of a diving Helman at short cut the lead to 8-4.

In the seventh, the Bats got to within three when Dunn doubled with one out and scored on a single to left from Livan Soto making it 8-5.

The belt was tightened even more as the Bats got to within two in the eighth. Burdick singled to short, moved up to third on two ground outs, and scored on a single to right by pinch hitter Conner Capel cutting the Saints lead to two at 8-6.

Matt Wallner continued his hot ways with a solo homer to left in the bottom of the eighth, his third in as many games and fourth of the season, increasing the lead to 9-6. It was the second time in his career Wallner has homered in three straight games May 30-June 1 at Buffalo. Wallner went 2-4 with a home run, two RBI, and a run scored.

Saints number nine hitter Diego Castillo was perfect going 3-3, finishing a home run shy of the cycle, with an RBI, and a run scored.

The same two teams meet in the finale of the six-game series at CHS Field on Sunday afternoon at 2:07 p.m. The Saints send RHP David Festa (0-0, 2.18) to the mound against Bats RHP Lyon Richardson (0-0, 2.74). The game can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities, MLB.TV, MiLB.TV, and the Bally Live app, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.