Saints One Out from Victory, Give up Crushing Home Run in 5-3 Loss
IL St. Paul Saints

Saints One Out from Victory, Give up Crushing Home Run in 5-3 Loss

Published on August 22, 2025 under International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - The St. Paul Saints never led Friday night at CHS Field until scoring two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. They were one out away from an impressive come from behind victory, but gave up a two-out home run and fell 5-3 to the Round Rock Express in front of a season-high 9,252.

With the Saints down 2-1 in the eighth Kyler Fedko continued his incredible season. He delivered a one out solo homer to right, his sixth of the season at Triple-A in 19 games and 26th long ball overall, tying the game at two. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. followed with a ground rule double to left-center. With two outs Jhonny Pereda walked and Aaron Sabato reached on an infield single to third loading the bases. Jonah Bride then hit a grounder off the leg of pitcher Peyton Gray that ricocheted to third for an infield RBI single putting the Saints up 3-2.

Cody Laweryson, who was making his first appearance since July 9 when he injured his right forearm, gave up a one out double to Billy McKinney. With two outs, the .204 hitting Cooper Johnson came to the plate. He hit a two-run homer to left, his sixth of the season, putting the Express up 4-3. They would add an insurance run on back-to-back doubles from Alex De Goti and Dustin Harris making it 5-3.

The Saints made some noise in the ninth. With one out, back-to-back singles from Payton Eeles and Fedko put runners at first and second. Both Eeles and Fedko were an identical 2-4 with a home run, RBI, and a run scored. José Ruiz, however, would strikeout Keirsey Jr. and Carson McCusker to end the game.

Runs were tough to come by early on, but the Express grabbed the first of the game in the second. With a man at first and one out, McKinney dropped down a perfect bunt single to third putting runners at first and second. After a wild pitch moved the runners up, Richie Martin hit a ground ball to Jose Miranda at first with the infield drawn in. Miranda looked the runners back, turned around and raced to first to get the out, but as he did that Alan Trejo raced home from third to score a run and make it 1-0 Express.

After being blanked through the first five innings, the Saints scoreless streak reached 18 innings. Eeles broke the seal with a leadoff solo homer to right in the sixth, his fourth of the season, tying the game at one.

Brooklyn Park native John Klein was tremendous out of the bullpen. On the heels of Andrew Morris' 3.0 solid innings of one run baseball, Klein gave up a leadoff single in the fourth. From there he retired the next eight hitters before back-to-back two outs walks in the sixth. Klein fanned Trejo to end the inning.

Klein pitched a perfect seventh and went back out for the eighth. With one out, back-to-back doubles by Harris and Justin Foscue gave the Express a 3-2 lead. Klein would finish his night with a strikeout of Abimelec Ortiz. Klein went 4.2 innings allowing one run on three hits while walking two and striking out seven.

The same two teams meet in Game Five of a six-game series at CHS Field on Saturday night at 6:37 p.m. The Saints send RHP Mick Abel (7-2, 2.22) to the mound against Express RHP Cory Abbott (3-4, 6.79). The game can be seen on the CW Twin Cities, MLB.TV, MiLB.TV, and the Bally Live app, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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International League Stories from August 22, 2025


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