Saints Avoid Being No-Hit with Single in Ninth, But Fall 1-0 to Mud Hens
IL St. Paul Saints

Saints Avoid Being No-Hit with Single in Ninth, But Fall 1-0 to Mud Hens

Published on April 7, 2026 under International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


TOLEDO, OH - The game started with a nifty catch in center field by Top 10 overall prospect Max Clark. That was relevant because the first 14 St. Paul Saints hitters were retired and the Toledo Mud Hens carried a no-hitter into the ninth. Gabby Gonzalez ended the no-no bid with a one out single in the ninth, but the St. Paul Saints fell 1-0 to the Mud Hens on Tuesday afternoon at Fifth Third Field, their sixth straight defeat.

The Saints, who had been no-hit once in Triple-A franchise history in a nine-inning game, failed to collect a hit entering the ninth. Kaelen Culpepper led off the inning by striking out. Walker Jenkins took a 3-2 pitch for a called strike three, but he challenged the pitch and it was overturned as Jenkins drew a walk. The Saints were 4-4 on challenges. That brought up Gonzalez. He hit a shallow blooper into right field. Second baseman Gage Workman raced out, slid, and tried to make the grab, but the ball hit off his glove and landed into right field. Right fielder Wenceel Perez picked it up and tried to get Jenkins at second, but the throw was offline and Gonzalez' hit ended the no-hit bid. The final two hitters of the game, Alan Roden and Orlando Arcia, struck out to end the game. It's the fifth time the Saints have been one-hit and the eighth time they have lost 1-0.

The lone run of the game came in the first. It was a lengthy inning for Andrew Bash who threw 31 pitches, but got out of the inning cheaply enough. With one out Clark singled to center. With two out Eduardo Valencia walked putting runners at first and second. Hao-Yu Lee gave the Mud Hens a 1-0 with a single to left-center. Bash would then walk Jace Jung, but got out of the bases loaded, two out jam by getting Corey Julks to hit into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

After that Bash was superb. He retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced with the lone hitter reaching on a fly ball double to left with two outs in the fourth when Gonzalez never saw the ball and it fell just inside the chalk. Bash went 4.2 innings allowing one run on three hits while walking two and fanning six.

Mud Hens starter Lael Lockhart retired the first 14 Saints hitters before walking Ryan Kreidler with two outs in the fifth. Lockhart went 5.0 hitless, shutout innings while walking one and striking out one.

The Saints made a little noise in the eighth when Kreidler and Kyler Fedko drew back-to-back walks with one out. With two outs they pulled off a double steal, but Aaron Sabato struck out to end the inning.

The three other times in Triple-A franchise history where the Saints were one-hit were June 24, 2021 @ Columbus, September 11, 2022 @ Toledo, and April 21, 2024 @ Indianapolis. The lone nine inning no-hitter was on April 13, 2022 vs. Indianapolis.

The same teams meet in game two of a six-game series at Fifth Third Field on Wednesday night at 5:35 p.m. (CT). The Saints send RHP Matt Bowman (0-0, 3.86) to the mound against Mud Hens RHP Sawyer-Gipson Long (NR). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM presented by Northland Ford Dealers.

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International League Stories from April 7, 2026


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