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IL St. Paul Saints

Wallner's Walk-Off Single in 10th Sends Saints to 5-4 Victory over RailRiders

August 21, 2022 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - The St. Paul Saints did something on Sunday few teams have done this year against the top pitching team in the International League. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders were 40-3 when leading after seven innings. The Saints trailed going into the eighth, tied the game, and won it, 5-4, in the 10th on a walk-off infield single by Matt Wallner at CHS Field in front of 8,347. The Saints split the six-game series against the RailRiders and finished 6-6 on their 12-game homestand.

With the Saints down a run in the eighth, Michael Helman drew a one out walk. He stole second and, with two outs, advanced to third on a wild pitch. On ball four to Chris Williams, the pitch bounced in the dirt, kicked off the catcher Max McDowell's shin guard and caromed towards the field of play as Helman raced home to tie the game at four.

In the top of the 10th, Brad Peacock went out for his second inning of relief for the Saints. With the placed runner at second, Peacock got Tim Locastro to ground out to second, moving the runner to third. Peacock would get Chris Owings to fly out to shallow center and then struck out Oswald Peraza looking to end the inning. Peacock went 2.0 perfect innings of relief.

In the bottom of the inning, with Elliot Soto the placed runner at second, a wild pitch sent him to third. After Michael Helman grounded out to short with the infield drawn in, Wallner hit a high tapper over the mound as Soto raced home to score the winning run. It was the ninth walk-off win for the Saints this season.

The Saints jumped on the board first in the first as Williams drilled a solo homer to left, his fifth in nine games since being called up from Double-A, making it 1-0.

Simeon Woods Richardson made his Triple-A debut and pitched perfect first inning before getting into trouble in the second. Phil Evans led off the inning with a single to left. Rob Brantly followed with a double to right putting runners at second and third. With one out, McDowell hit a three-run homer to left, his second of the season, putting the RailRiders up 3-1. Woods Richardson would go 3.0 innings allowing three runs on four hits while striking out four.

In the bottom of the fourth the Saints got their second home run of the game as Jermaine Palacios slugged a solo homer to right-center, his 13th of the season, cutting the deficit to 3-2.

The teams traded runs in the sixth with the RailRiders starting their inning with a one out single from Evans. He moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by McDowell making it 4-2.

The Saints answered in the bottom of the inning courtesy of an RBI double by Caleb Hamilton, once again getting the Saints to within a run at 4-3.

The Saints are now 8-10 in extra inning games and the 18 extra inning games are the most in all of baseball.

The Saints are off on Monday and return to action on Tuesday at Principal Park to take on the Iowa Cubs at 6:38 p.m. The Saints send RHP Aaron Sanchez (4-2, 3.75) to the mound while the I-Cubs are TBA. The game can be seen on MiLB.TV and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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International League Stories from August 21, 2022


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