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IL St. Paul Saints

How Sweep It Is, Saints Take All Six from Bats with 6-3 Win

June 16, 2024 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


LOUISVILLE, KY - The St. Paul Saints found the exact ballpark for anything that may have been ailing them. They came into Louisville Slugger Field and swept the Louisville Bats as Matt Wallner slugged two more home runs in a 6-3 victory on Sunday afternoon. The win is the sixth straight for the Saints and a franchise record seven consecutive road wins.

For the third time in the series the Saints struck right off the get go in the first. Edouard Julien led off the game with a solo homer to left-center, his second of the season, making it 1-0. Brooks Lee followed with a single to left-center and that brought up Matt Wallner. In June, he came into Sunday slashing .396/.458/.868 and led the International League in the month in home runs (6), slugging percentage, total bases (46) and was tied with teammate Michael Helman in extra base hits (11). He obliterated a ball off the videoboard in right-center field, his 15th of the season and his International League leading eighth in the month of June, increasing the lead to 3-0. The blast was estimated at 481-feet, the second furthest in franchise history, only surpassed by the 486-foot homer by Jair Camargo on June 8, 2023 vs. Iowa.

Perhaps a sign of more good things to come for the Saints occurred in the bottom of the first. The first batter to face Caleb Boushley, Blake Dunn, drilled a high fly to straightaway center, but Will Holland leapt up and robbed him of a home run.

Another big bat hit a big fly for the Saints as Yunior Severino hit a one out solo homer to right-center, his 13th of the season, making it 4-0. Severino finished a triple shy of the cycle going 3-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

Dunn got his revenge on Boushley in the sixth. With two outs in the sixth Dunn hit a ball to left that had no chance of being robbed, a solo homer over the left field wall, his fifth of the season, cutting into the Saints lead at 4-1.

Wallner came calling again in the seventh driving a solo home run to right, his second of the game and 16th of the season, giving the Saints a 5-1 lead. He finished the game 2-5 with two home runs, three RBI, and two runs scored.

With two outs and nobody on in the bottom the inning the Bats finally chased Boushley from the game. Edwin Ríos looped a single into right-center and scored on a triple to right by Michael Trautwein getting the Bats to within 5-2. Scott Blewett came on in relief and walked Conner Capel before giving up an RBI single to left from Herán Pérez cutting the Saints lead to 5-3. Boushley went 6.2 innings allowing three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out three. He picked up his league tying seventh win of the season.

The Saints got one of the two runs back in the eighth. Alex Isola led off the inning by reaching on a fielding error by the shortstop Liván Soto. With one out Anthony Prato singled to center moving Isola to second. Holland followed with an RBI single to center giving the Saints a 6-3 lead.

The Saints are off on Monday and return to action on Tuesday night at CHS Field to take on the Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) at 7:07 p.m. The Saints send RHP Adam Plutko (1-1, 4.11) to the mound against Mud Hens RHP Ty Madden (0-2, 7.82). The game can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities area, MLB.TV, MiLB.TV, the Bally Live app, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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