Second Time In Two Weeks Prato Plays Hero With Walk-Off Single In Ninth As Saints Win 7-6

ST. PAUL, MN (September 5, 2024) - He didn’t start the game, but he sure finished it. Anthony Prato entered the game in the eighth inning as a pinch runner. One inning later his walk-off single to center gave the St. Paul Saints a 7-6 win over the Iowa Cubs on Friday night at CHS Field in front of 5,070.

With the game tied at six in the ninth, Carson McCusker reached on an infield single to short. Jair Camargo was then hit by a pitch putting runners at first and second. With two outs up stepped Anthony Prato. With the outfield shallow to guard against the bloop single, Prato smacked a line drive over the head of Darius Hill for a walk-off single. It was Prato’s second walk-off single this season, the other on August 21 vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

It looked like the Saints would run away and hide in the first inning as they sent eight men to the plate in the first inning and scored three runs. With one out Diego Castillo doubled into the left-center gap. That was followed by a walk to Emmanuel Rodriguez putting runners at first and second. Yunior Severino made it 1-0 with an RBI single to center that sent Rodriguez to third. A wild pitch scored Rodriguez and sent Severino to second, giving the Saints a 2-0 lead. With two outs Jair Camargo reached on a fielding error by the third baseman Chase Strumpf as Severino took third. Ryaln Bannon’s RBI single up the middle increased the lead to 3-0.

The I-Cubs got one back in the second. Back-to-back singles by Matt Mervis and Strumpf to lead off the inning put runners at first and second. With one out and runners at the corners, William Simoneit lined a single off pitcher Caleb Boushley driving in Mervis, cutting the lead to 3-1.

The bottom of the order started the top of the fourth on the right foot for the I-Cubs as Simoneit doubled to center and Hayden Cantrelle singled him to third. With one out, Matt Shaw’s groundout to short scored Simoneit making it 3-2.

Simoneit and Cantrelle combined to give the I-Cubs the lead in the sixth. Simoneit led off the inning with a single to center. That was followed by a two-run homer to right-center from Cantrelle, his third of the season, giving the I-Cubs a 4-3 lead.

Trevor Richards made his Saints debut in the seventh. He walked the leadoff hitter he faced, Strumpf. A wild pitch moved him to second and Darius Hill hit a two-run homer to right, his first of the season, increasing the I-Cubs lead to 6-3.

In the bottom of the inning the Saints tied the game at six. With one out Payton Eeles was hit by a pitch. Castillo singled to right putting runners at first and second. Rodriguez collected his first Triple-A hit with a single to right loading the bases. Severino lined a two-run single into center getting the Saints to within 6-5. The two RBI gave him 75 on the season tying the single-season franchise record with Chris Williams (2023) and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. (2024). Camargo followed with an RBI single into left-center tying the game at six.

The same two teams meet in game four of a six-game series on Friday night at 6:37 p.m. at CHS Field. The Saints send RHP Andrew Morris (1-0, 3.15) to the mound against I-Cubs RHP Trey Supak (4-1, 3.97). The game can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities area, MLB.TV, MiLB.TV, and the Bally Live app, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.