Saints return to action with win on Friday

If there was one team that needed the All-Star break the most, it was the St. Paul Saints. They had lost all six games in Louisville just before the break and took a much-needed four days off. They returned to Fifth Third Field Friday night feeling rejuvenated, building a six-run lead but having to hold on for an 8-6 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens. The win snapped a six-game losing streak and a seven-game losing streak on foreign soil.

In the third inning, the Mud Hens took a 1-0 lead. With one out, Akil Baddoo walked. He stole second and with two outs, Jace Jung hit an RBI single to right.

Chris Williams tied the score at 1-1 in the fourth inning with a solo homer to left for his 11th of the season and 42nd of his Saints career, one shy of the franchise record of 43 held by Mark Contreras.

Another two-out RBI hit gave the Mud Hens a run. Bligh Madris led off the fourth with a single to right. He moved to second on a groundout and scored on a two-out single to left-center by Justice Bigbie to give the Mud Hens a 2-1 lead.

The Saints scored seven unanswered runs to take the lead in the fifth. Payton Eeles led off the inning with a solo home run to right, his second of the season, to tie the score at 2-2. Dalton Shuffield followed with a single to center. Shuffield stole second and with one out, Rylan Bannon walked. With two outs, Williams singled to right off the glove of a diving Andrew Navigato. The ball bounced off his glove to shallow right as Shuffield scored to give the Saints a 3-2 lead.

The Saints extended their lead with a five-run sixth inning. The first four batters reached base when they loaded the bases on an Anthony Prato single to left-center, a Jace Jung fielding error at third on a ball hit by Alex Isola and a bunt single by Eeles. Eeles finished 2-4 with a homer, RBI and two runs scored. Shuffield made it 5-2 with a two-run single to right-center. He finished the night 2-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. With runners on the corners, Shuffield stole second on a strikeout by DaShawn Keirsey Jr. Bannon dropped a bloop single behind an infield that scored a pair of runs to make it 7-2. On a run and hit, Yunior Severino singled through the vacated gap in right field and Bannon took third. Williams’ sacrifice fly made it 8-2. Williams went 3-4 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored.

Brock Stewart, in his third Major League rehab appearance for the Saints, pitched a scoreless sixth inning. He struck out Madris before giving up a single to Andrew Navigato. Ryan Kreidler grounded out and Bigbie struck out.

In the seventh inning, the Mud Hens got a few back. With one out, Baddoo doubled off the wall in right field and Spencer Torkelson walked. Jung singled to right field to score Baddoo, and right fielder Shuffield’s throw to third got past Prato, allowing Jung to score and cutting the Saints’ lead to 8-4.

The belt tightened even further for the Saints in the eighth. With one out, Josh Winder walked Ryan Kreidler. He stole second and took over third on a throwing error by catcher Williams. With two outs, Riley Unroe doubled off Kreidler to cut the Saints lead to 8-5. Baddoo followed with an RBI single to right-center field to make it 8-6. After walking Torkelson, the Saints made a pitching change, bringing in Jeff Brigham. He walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but was eliminated from the inning when Dillon Dingler hit a sharp ground ball to third that was caught by Anthony Prato, who was forced out at second to end the inning.

Brigham recorded only his seventh career save when he retired the ball in the ninth inning.

The same two teams meet in game two of a three-game series Saturday night at Fifth Third Field at 6:05 p.m. CT. The Saints send RHP Adam Plutko (3-1, 4.57) to the mound and the Mud Hens are TBA.

(info courtesy of Saints)