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Indians Seal Sweep of Saints with Gorski's Walk-Off Home Run

August 18, 2024 - International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


INDIANAPOLIS - Matt Gorski launched a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete a comeback effort and clinch a six-game sweep for the Indianapolis Indians over the St. Paul Saints on Sunday afternoon at Victory Field, 7-6.

The Indians (24-19, 57-59) scored three unanswered runs in the final four innings to complete their fifth come-from-behind victory in their last six games. The six-game sweep is Indy's second since Minor League Baseball moved to the weekly format in 2021 - the first of which came exactly three weeks ago, from July 23-28 at Iowa - and first at Victory Field.

Eight pitches into the game, the Saints (18-27, 56-63) took a 2-0 lead with Michael Helman's 13th homer of the season to left field. The back-and-forth contest took off from there, with Indianapolis plating three in the bottom of the second on an RBI double by Matt Gorski and two-run single by Seth Beer.

Beer continued to be at the center of the Indians offense, trading RBI singles with Yunior Severino in the fifth inning before St. Paul retook the lead in the sixth. Rylan Bannon launched a two-run home run before an out could be recorded in the inning, and Payton Eeles followed with a two-out RBI single.

The Indians began their rally in the bottom of the sixth by loading the bases with no outs on three consecutive singles. Liover Peguero scratched one run across on a groundout bobbled by the shortstop Bannon, but the threat ended there. The Indians then stranded the game-tying run in scoring position with no outs again in the seventh before Henry Davis tied the game on a solo homer in the eighth.

Gorski's walk-off home run was the Indianapolis's first since Joshua Palacios launched a two-out solo homer on July 26, 2023, vs. Louisville. It was his second professional walk-off home run, his first coming in the ninth inning of a career-high three homer performance with High-A Greensboro on May 22, 2022, vs. Bowling Green.

Aaron Shortridge got the start for the Indians and allowed five runs (four earned) over 5.1 innings. Isaac Mattson and Brady Feigl (W, 7-2) went to work as the offense continued to battle, posting 3.1 scoreless frames.

Indianapolis tagged five of six Saints pitchers for at least one run. Caleb Baragar (L, 0-1) entered in the ninth inning and gave up the game-winning blast.

As the eighth and ninth batters in Indy's lineup, Gorski and Beer combined for six of Indy's 11 hits and five of seven RBI.

The Indians travel to Columbus, Ohio to begin a six-game series with the Cleveland Guardian-affiliated Clippers on Tuesday night at 6:15 PM. Neither team has named a starting pitcher for the series-opening contest.

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