Bats Drop Duo of Games in Doubleheader at St. Paul
IL Louisville Bats

Bats Drop Duo of Games in Doubleheader at St. Paul

Published on July 18, 2026 under International League (IL)
Louisville Bats News Release


The Louisville Bats suffered a tough pair of losses at the hands of the St. Paul Saints on Saturday night, dropping game one 11-3 and getting shut out 7-0 in game two. Overall struggles showed up in a variety of ways for the Bats, as their two losses now make them 4-10 in doubleheader games this season.

Frustrations arose quickly for the Bats in the first game after Julian Aguiar battled hefty struggles in his first start since the All-Star break. The Saints attacked him early, tabbing two quick doubles to plate the first run of the game. St. Paul continued to pour it on, plating another run before Aguiar could get the first out of his outing. However, the Louisville starter only managed one more out before his day was done, giving way to Sam Benschoter after allowing four runs on four hits and two walks in the first inning.

Tensions continued to boil over into the bottom of the third, where Bats manager Pat Kelly was ejected for the first time this season after showing frustration on a check swing call. However, Sam Haggerty and Will Benson also joined the party of firsts with their first home runs for the Bats this season to bring Louisville close 4-3 after six innings.

Despite the effort, bullpen struggles from Connor Phillips and Trevor Kuncl led St. Paul to a seven-run bottom of the sixth, and the Bats went down empty in the seventh to drop the first matchup of the doubleheader 11-3. Louisville's pitching staff totaled 10 walks, just four less than their season-high on 6/3 at Memphis.

Davis Daniel helped slow things down drastically in game two, tossing five scoreless innings as the Bats played as the home team due to a makeup from Louisville's home series against the Saints from 6/23 to 6/28. Daniel's strong outing reached a peak in the fourth, where he battled around a leadoff triple to keep the Saints scoreless.

As well as Daniel held down the fort against the Saints, St. Paul's bullpen did the same, if not better. The Bats were held to two hits in the first four innings, and earned just a single walk. However, Daniel's clean outing ended in the fifth after two consecutive hits plated the first run of the game.

Louisville had their best chance to score runs in the fifth after loading the bases with just one out in the inning. However, a strikeout from Hector Rodriguez and a Benson ground out blocked the Bats' chances. Daniel finished his outing after gathering an out in the sixth, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. He left behind runners on the corners, who both quickly scored after Zach Maxwell gave up two singles. Protecting an already limited bullpen, Maxwell gave up four more runs and handed St. Paul a 7-0 lead before Haggerty took the bump and recorded a quick out.

Haggerty returned to the mound in the seventh and remained scoreless. He joined Luis Mey and Benschoter as the only pitchers to hold St. Paul scoreless during the day. Nevertheless, the Bats went down in order in the seventh and posted their second loss of the day. Louisville continues their winless streak of doubleheaders and are now 0-3-4 on the season on days with a doubleheader.

Next Game: Sunday, July 19, 3:07 p.m. E.T. at St. Paul Saints (Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins)

Probable Pitchers: Bats RHP Jose Acuna (1-0, 5.40) vs. Saints TBA

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International League Stories from July 18, 2026


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