IL St. Paul Saints

Saints Pitching Quiets Top Scoring Team in 6-3 Victory over Bats

August 9, 2023 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - The St. Paul Saints pitching staff has stepped up in the first two games of their series against the International League's top hitting and scoring team, the Louisville Bats. Randy Dobnak tossed 4.0 scoreless innings and the bullpen was strong in a 6-3 victory on Wednesday afternoon at CHS Field in front of 8,368. The win improves the Saints to 20-15 in the second half.

Dobnak threw 31 pitches in the first inning, but grinded it out around two walks and a single to get out of the inning unscathed.

Andrew Stevenson led off the bottom of the first with a triple into the right field corner. With one out, Brooks Lee knocked him home with an RBI single into right-center putting the Saints up 1-0.

Dobnak settled down retiring the side in order in the second and fourth and got out of a first and third two out jam in the third by picking off Nick Martini at first. Dobnak went 4.0 scoreless innings allowing two hits while walking three and striking out four.

The Saints sent eight men to the plate in the fourth and scored four runs. Yunior Severino led off the inning with a triple off the wall in right and he scored on an RBI single to left-center from DaShawn Keirsey Jr. making it 2-0. The next hitter, Jair Camargo, blasted a two-run homer to straightaway center, his 17th of the season, increasing the lead to 4-0. With two outs Stevenson was hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on a Lee single to left-center giving the Saints a 5-0 lead. Lee finished the game 2-4 with two RBI.

Andrew Bechtold collected his first career win tossing a scoreless fifth inning and made the biggest pitch of the game. With the bases loaded and one out he got the Bats leading home run hitter, Matt Reynolds, to ground into an inning ending double play.

The Bats got on the board in the sixth on a leadoff solo homer to center by Jason Vosler, his 10th of the season, cutting the lead to 5-1. Henry Ramos then singled, moved to third on a double by Neolvi Marte, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Drew Mount making it 5-2.

Jovani Moran, in his first relief appearance for the Saints this season, pitched a scoreless seventh allowing one hit and striking out one. He threw 13 pitches, nine for strikes.

In the eighth, the Saints tacked on an insurance run. Keirsey Jr. led off by being hit by a pitch, moved to third on a single from Camargo, and scored on Austin Martin's sacrifice fly increasing the lead to 6-2.

Oliver Ortega tossed the last two innings, retiring six of the seven batters he faced. The lone mistake was a leadoff solo homer to Jose Barrero in the ninth, his 10th of the season, that made it 6-3. Ortega went 2.0 innings allowing one run on one hit while striking out two.

The same two teams meet in game three of a six-game series at CHS Field at 7:07 p.m. on Thursday night. The Saints send RHP Blayne Enlow (2-5, 9.99) to the mound against Bats RHP, Major League rehabber, Hunter Greene (0-0, 3.38). The game can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities, the Bally Live app (free), and MiLB.TV (subscription), and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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International League Stories from August 9, 2023


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