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IL St. Paul Saints

Saints Hit Season-High Five Homers, Williams with Two More, in 11-3 Drubbing of Bats

June 14, 2023 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


LOUISVILLE, KY - The St. Paul Saints are at the very beginning of a two-week, 12-game roadtrip, but they are making themselves right at home in Louisville Slugger Field. A night after crushing four home runs, they hit a season-high five with Chris Williams clubbing two more on the heels of a three-homer game last night. The offensive onslaught was backed by superb pitching in an 11-3 beatdown of the Louisville Bats on Wednesday afternoon. The win is the third straight for the Saints, they are 15-6 over the last three weeks, and improved to a franchise record 12-games over .500, 38-26. A night after homering three times, Williams continued his torrid start to the week. With two outs Matt Wallner ripped a single into right. Williams followed with a two-run homer to left, his fourth in his last six at bats and 11th of the season, making it 2-0. Mark Contreras walked, stole second, and scored on a double by Jair Camargo giving the Saints a 3-0 lead.

The lead didn't last long as the Bats responded in the bottom of the first with three unearned runs. Major League rehabber Nick Sanzel led off by reaching on a fielding error by third baseman Alex De Goti. Major League rehabber Joey Votto followed with a single to right putting runners at first and second. After a strikeout and a fielder's choice put runners at the corners, Henry Ramos made it 3-2 with a two-run double to left-center. Matt Reynolds tied the game at three with an RBI double to left. Those would be the only runs allowed by the Saints as Saints starter Randy Dobnak went 5.1 innings allowing three unearned runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out seven.

From there, the Saints scored eight unanswered runs. Anthony Prato got things started for the Saints in the fourth with a superb eight pitch at bat that ended in a double to center. Elliot Soto followed with a walk putting runners at first and second. With two outs, Major League rehabber Gilberto Celestino bounced an RBI single between Votto at first and the first base line giving the Saints a 4-3 lead.

Williams led off the fifth inning with a walk and, two batters later, Camargo blasted a two-run homer to right-center, his 10th of the season, putting the Saints up 6-3. Camargo finished the game 2-5 with a double, home run, three RBI, and a run scored.

Andrew Stevenson led off the sixth inning with a solo homer to left-center, his fourth of the season, increasing the Saints lead to 7-3. With one out, Wallner walked and Williams blasted his second home run of the game and fifth in two days, a two-run shot to right, his 12th of the season, making it 9-3. Williams has homered five times over his last eight at bats in the last two games. He finished the day 2-3 with two home runs, four RBI, and three runs scored. He has 11 RBI over the last two games and has reached base safely in eight of his last 11 plate appearances.

In the eighth, the Saints reached the double-digit run mark as Soto led off with a single to third. With one out, Stevenson singled to left putting runners at first and second. After a double steal, Celestino's sacrifice lineout scored Soto making it 10-3. Celestino finished his third Major League rehab game with the Saints going 1-4 with two RBI.

The Saints got their fifth homer of the game as Prato led off the ninth with a solo homer to right, his first at Triple-A, making it 11-3.

Saints relievers Kody Funderburk and Austin Schulfer tossed 3.2 scoreless innings allowing three hits and striking out seven. The Saints bullpen over the first two games of the series against the second highest scoring team in the International League, have not allowed a run in 9.1 innings pitched.

Eight of the nine Saints players collected a hit and seven of the nine scored a run. The Saints scored double-digit runs in back-to-back games for the fourth time this season and have double-digit hits in nine of their last 10, with the lone game being a seven-inning affair.

The same two teams meet in game three of a six-game series at Louisville Slugger Field on Thursday night at 5:35 p.m. (CT). The Saints are TBA and will start an opener while the Bats start RHP Randy Wynne (2-1, 4.75). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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International League Stories from June 14, 2023


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