Each time the Toledo Mud Hens scored a run, the St. Paul Saints had an answer in their very next at bat. That happened six different times over the course of an 11-inning contest. Unfortunately, the Saints needed to happen seven times as they fell 9-8 on Tuesday night at CHS Field in front of 5,006
With the game tied at six in the ninth Ryan Kreidler gave the Mud Hens the lead with a solo homer to left, his third of the season, making it 7-6.
In the bottom of the ninth, the first three Saints hitters walked. After a fielder’s choice erased the Severino at the plate, Payton Eeles’ sacrifice fly to left tied the game at seven.
In the 10th, with the placed runner at second and one out Hao-Yu Lee tripled home a run making it 8-7.
For the sixth time on the night the Saints answered in the bottom of the inning, but it came off position player Riley Unroe. With two outs and Mickey Gasper at third, Jose Miranda’s infield single to short tied the game at eight.
In the 11th, with Andy Ibañez the placed runner at second, Jace Jung doubled him home giving the Mud Hens the lead.
Unroe went back out for the 11th and walked the leadoff man, Anthony Prato, to put runners at first and second. Unroe would get a ground ball double play off the bat of Aaron Sabato and Will Holland to fly out to end the game.
For the sixth consecutive game the Saints gave up a first inning run and it came courtesy of a leadoff home run from Lee, his fifth of the season, giving the Mud Hens a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the first the Saints returned the favor. Payton Eeles led off by reaching on an error by the second baseman Lee. With one out Edouard Julien deposited a curveball over the rightfield wall, his third of the season, giving the Saints a 2-1 lead.
The lead was handed back in the top of the second. Back-to-back doubles to lead off the inning by Brewer Hicklen and Akil Baddoo tied the game at two. Baddoo then took third on a wild pitch and scored when catcher Gasper’s throw went into left giving the Mud Hens a 3-2 lead.
Patience paid off for the Saints in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. With one out back-to-back singles by Prato and Sabato put runners at first and second. After a fielder’s choice put runners at the corners, back-to-back walks to Eeles and Gasper forced in a run tying the game at three.
The teams traded runs in the third. With two outs and nobody on Jung walked and Hicklen tripled him home. In the bottom of the inning Yunior Severino doubled with two outs and scored on a single from Prato. Prato finished the night 3-3 with an RBI, two runs, two walks and a hit by pitch. He becomes the first player in franchise history to reach base safely in all six plate appearances.
Walks and an error proved costly for the Saints in the fifth. Justyn-Henry Malloy led off with a walk and with one out Jung walked. Hicklen knocked in Malloy with a single to left-center giving the Mud Hens a 5-4 lead. With two outs Kreidler hit a grounder to short and Eeles’ throwing error to first allowed Jung to score making it 6-4.
Once again the Saints knotted it up in the bottom of the inning. Gasper led off the inning with a double to left-center. After a pitching change Julien walked. Carson McCusker then drilled a two-run double to right-center tying the game at six.
The same two teams meet in game two of a six-game series on Wednesday night at CHS Field at 7:07 p.m. The Saints send RHP Andrew Morris (2-4, 4.40) to the mound against Mud Hens LHP Dietrich Enns (2-2, 2.65).
(info courtesy of Saints Baseball)
