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IL St. Paul Saints

Another Historic Night with Pérez' Five Hits and Stevenson Setting Franchise Single-Season Hits Record in 10-7 Win

August 24, 2023 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


PAPILLION, NE - The St. Paul Saints set a record just as the first pitch was thrown on Thursday night at Werner Park. The game time temperature of 100 degrees was the hottest in franchise history. More records would fall as a night after Kyle Garlick had his first ever five-hit game, Hernán Pérez picked up the first five-hit game of his career in his 1,645th professional game. Also, Andrew Stevenson became the single-season hits leader in Saints history as the Saints held on for a 10-7 victory over the Omaha Storm Chasers. The win improves the Saints to 28-20 in the second half.

The Saints got contributions up and down the lineup as they pounded out 18 hits with all nine players collecting at least one hit and six players having a multi-hit night. Seven of the nine players scored a run and the bottom four hitters in the lineup: DaShawn Keirsey Jr., Yunior Severino, Pérez, and Tony Wolters accounted for all 10 RBI.

The Saints jumped out to an 8-0 lead by scoring three in the second and five in the third. For the third straight night the Saints got on the board first. They loaded the bases with nobody out in the second on a Trevor Larnach single, a walk to Anthony Prato, and a single by Keirsey Jr. Severino gave the Saints a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to left as both Prato and Keirsey Jr. also advanced. That proved pivotal as Pérez brought both runners home with a two-run single to right-center making it 3-0.

The Saints poured it on in the third with a five-run inning. Brooks Lee led off with a walk and that was followed by a single to left-center from Kyle Garlick. With two outs, Keirsey Jr. hit his first Triple-A home run, a three-run shot to right, increasing the lead to 6-0. Back-to-back singles by Severino and Pérez put runners at first and second. A wild pitch moved the runners up to second and third. Wolters knocked both runners home with a two-run single off the glove of second baseman Devin Mann giving the Saints an 8-0 lead.

After going perfect over the first three innings, Brent Headrick ran into a little trouble in the fourth as the first five batters reached. Bubba Thompson led off with a double to right-center. Edward Olivares was then hit by a pitch. Nick Loftin got the Storm Chasers on the board with an RBI single to right making it 8-1. A walk to Mann loaded the bases. Tyler Gentry made it 8-2 with an RBI single to center. Nate Eaton's fielder's choice scored a run as the subsequent throwing error by Prato at third moved the runners to second and third. Clay Dungan's RBI groundout cut the Saints lead to 8-4.

The Saints got one back in the fifth when Keirsey Jr. walked, advanced to third on a two base throwing error on a pickoff attempt by Brett de Geus, and scored on a Pérez single to left making it 9-4.

Pérez continued his torrid night in the seventh. Keirsey Jr. led off the inning with a walk and moved to third on two wild pitches. After a walk to Severino, Pérez lined an RBI single into right-center increasing the Saints lead 10-4.

The Storm Chasers grabbed the run back in the bottom of the inning. With one out Dungan doubled, moved to third on an infield single by Angelo Castellano, and a balk by Michael Boyle brought home Dungan making it 10-5.

In the eighth, the Storm Chasers made in interesting by plating a couple of runs to cut the Saints lead to three. Olivares led off with a chopper over the head of Prato at third and down the left field line for a double. Loftin walked and with one out Gentry walked to load the bases. Eaton lined a two-run single into left-center making it 10-7.

The Saints grabbed four hits in the ninth, but didn't score. After Severino led off with a single, Pérez capped off his night with a single to right. He finished the night 5-5, with four RBI, and a run scored. As Wolters was trying to bunt the runners over, Severino was back picked at second for the first out. With two outs, Stevenson singled into right-center collecting his 126th hit of the season surpassing the single-season franchise record of 125 set by Tomás Telis' in 2022.

The game got interesting in the ninth when Jovani Moran walked a pair and struck out a pair. With the tying run at the plate and two outs, Loftin sent a deep fly ball to right that Larnach caught in front of the wall to end the game.

The same two teams meet in game four of a six-game series on Friday night at Werner Park at 6:35 p.m. The Saints send RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (4-6, 5.44) to the mound and the Storm Chasers are TBA. The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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