Saints Walked-Off in Ninth by Mud Hens, 6-5
IL St. Paul Saints

Saints Walked-Off in Ninth by Mud Hens, 6-5

July 29, 2025 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


TOLEDO, OH - On Sunday afternoon at CHS Field, the St. Paul Saints had a miraculous comeback with a walk-off win. On Tuesday night they jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but couldn't hang on getting walked-off in the bottom of the ninth by the Toledo Mud Hens in a 6-5 loss at Fifth Third Field.

With the game tied at four in the eighth the Saints took the lead. After collecting just three hits from the second inning through the seventh, the Saints offense came alive in the eighth to take the lead. Ryan Fitzgerald led off the inning with a double to right. Jose Miranda followed with a walk. With one out Austin Martin singled to center loading the bases. The Saints grabbed a 5-4 lead with a sacrifice fly to center by Luke Keaschall. He finished the night 1-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Cole Percival, making his Triple-A debut, pitched a perfect eighth inning, but the ninth was a different story. Jace Jung led off the inning with a single to right, the sixth leadoff man to reach on the evening. Akil Baddoo then followed with a walk. Ryan Kreidler's fielder's choice groundout put runners at the corners. Andrew Navigato, who didn't start the game and came in for an injured Eduardo Valencia in the second, roped an RBI double off the left field wall tying the game at five. Trei Cruz then lined an RBI single to right for the walk-off game winner.

The first five hitters reached in the first inning for the Saints as they sent 10 men to the plate and scored four runs. The first three hitters all singled as Martin, Keaschall, and Edouard Julien, the latter driving in a run, made it 1-0. Julien finished the night 3-4 with a double, RBI, and a run scored. He is now 11-21 in his last eight games and 21-45 in his last 13 games with seven multi-hit games. Carson McCusker made it 2-0 with an RBI double into left. Payton Eeles came through with an RBI single to left increasing the lead to 3-0. With one out, Fitzgerald reached on an error by the second baseman Jung that scored McCusker capping off a 4-0 lead.

Trent Baker limited damage in the bottom of the inning, but the Mud Hens got a run back. Hao-Yu Lee led off with a walk, moved to second on a one out single to right by Justyn-Henry Malloy, and scored on a single to left-center by Baddoo making it 4-1.

For the fifth straight inning the Mud Hens put the leadoff man on, but unlike the previous four when it was with a walk, Trey Sweeney started the fifth with a double to right-center. Malloy then walked putting runners at first and second. Sweeney stole third and a groundout by Jung scored the run and moved Malloy to second. Baddoo walked and both runners scored on a Kreidler double to left-center tying the game at four.

The same two teams meet in game two of a six-game series on Wednesday night at Fifth Third Field at 6:05 p.m. (CT). The Saints send RHP Darren McCaughan (5-4, 5.40) to the mound against Mud Hens LHP Nick Margevicius (5-3, 3.30). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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International League Stories from July 29, 2025


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