Bats Blanked by Saints in Finale 3-0
Published on May 31, 2026 under International League (IL)
Louisville Bats News Release
The Louisville Bats got a good pitching performance on Sunday afternoon, but the offense was held to five hits in a 3-0 loss to the St. Paul Saints in the finale of a six-game series.
Bats starter Sam Benschoter worked into and out of a jam in the first, striking out a pair to leave the bases loaded. He wouldn't be as fortunate in the second, as a David Banuelos got the scoring started for the visitors with an RBI single to center.
Facing a number of Saints pitchers, the Bats were quiet. Their best chance came in the fourth as Hector Rodriguez doubled and was at third with one out. But C.J. Culpepper rebounded to strike out Michael Toglia and Michael Chavis to strand the runner at third. Louisville then went quietly in the fifth and sixth.
St. Paul doubled the lead to 2-0 in the seventh with Tanner Schobel's RBI infield single, but an alert throw from Toglia at first cut down another run trying to score and keep the deficit at two. Saints reliever Ricky Castro made quick work of the Bats in the seventh.
Drew Smith then pitched a clean eighth and a Matt Wallner solo homer increased the lead to 3-0 in the ninth. In the bottom half, Grant Hartwig worked around a pair of hits to finish the win, complete the Saints shutout and end a series victory for the visitors.
Next Game: Tuesday, June 2, 8:05 p.m. E.T. at Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals)
Probable Pitchers: Bats RHP Rhett Lowder (MLB Rehab) vs. Redbirds starting pitcher TBD
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