Festa Fans Franchise Tying 10, But Saints Fall 1-0

TOLEDO, OH (May 11, 2024) - David Festa isn’t coming. He may already be here. For the first time since May 10, 2022, when he was at Low-A Fort Myers, he went 6.0 innings without allowing a run and tied his own franchise record, that he also holds with Griffin Jax, by fanning 10. The Saints, however, couldn’t score a run against the Toledo Mud Hens at Fifth Third Field on Saturday night, and lost for the second time this season by a score of 1-0. The loss drops the Saints to 15-21.

Festa came out firing, striking out five in the first two innings. The first bit of trouble he ran into came in the fourth. Bligh Madris led off with a single to right. He stole second. After a strikeout, it looked like Madris had stolen third, but was sent back to second. That was beneficial as Kennedy reached on an error by the shortstop Michael Helman that put runners at first and second. A flyout from Dillon Dingler advanced Madris to third, but Festa got Riley Unroe to fly out to center to end the inning.

Meanwhile, the Saints didn’t have many chances to score. In the first, Matt Wallner ripped a 114.2 mile per hour two-out double to right-center, the hardest hit ball by a Saints player this year. Alex Isola walked, but Yunior Severino grounded into an inning ending fielder’s choice.

Wallner’s hit was the last one until the sixth. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. led off the inning with a walk. He advanced to second on an errant pickoff attempt, but then was thrown out trying to steal third. Anthony Prato would follow that with a single to right, the final hit of the night for the Saints.

Festa’s night finished in the sixth. With two outs and Keston Huira at first, a light rain began to fall. Two wild pitches sent Huira to third, but Festa punctuated his night by striking out Kennedy. Festa went 6.0 shutout innings allowing three hits while walking three and striking out 10. He became the first pitcher in franchise history to strike out 10 in a game twice, recording 10 two starts ago on April 10 vs, Louisville. Festa has fanned 28 in his last 14.1 innings.

The scoreless tie was finally broken in the bottom of the seventh. Reliever Jordana Balazovic gave up a leadoff double to left-center to Dingler. Dingler moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Riley Unroe. Balazovic came back and got a strikeout of Anthony Bemboom, but a hard single by Andrew Navigato that went off the glove of third baseman Anthony Prato and ricocheted into foul territory scored Dingler giving the Mud Hens the only run of the game.

The 1-0 loss is the second of the season for the Saints, also losing by the same score on April 17 at Indianapolis, and sixth in franchise history. Five of the six 1-0 losses have come on the road.

The same two teams meet in the finale of the six-game series at Fifth Third Field on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. (CT). The Saints send RHP Joe Gunkel (0-4, 10.71) to the mound against Mud Hens RHP Ty Madden (0-0, 11.57). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.