Saints Score Runs Early, Punch Out Season Tying-High 16 In 9-4 Knockout Of Bats

ST. PAUL, MN (August 8, 2026) - The St. Paul Saints had a friendly wager with the Louisville Bats. The teams did a Backyard Baseball cross promotion. For one game in Louisville and one game in St. Paul, the teams would wear Backyard Baseball themed uniforms. The team that scored the most runs in the two games got to choose the promotion the other must do in 2027. After winning 12-0 on June 27, it was a mere formality on Saturday night at CHS Field. The Saints left little down, plating nine runs over the second and third innings and their pitchers fanned a season-tying high 16 in a 9-4 win in front of 6,953. The Saints are now a season-high 20 games over .500, 66-46. The last time they were 20-games over .500 was at the end of the 2023 season.

A rarity occurred in the second inning that put the Saints on the board. After back-to-back walks to start the inning, Cody Morissette hit a sinking liner to center that Will Benson dove for, missed, and had the ball roll all the way to the wall. Morissette raced around the bases and beat a throw to the plate for an inside-the-park home run, his ninth homer of the season and eighth with the Saints, making it 3-0. It was the sixth inside-the-park home run in franchise history, the third at CHS Field, and the first since September 22, 2024 when Rylan Bannon did it. With two outs, Walker Jenkins drilled a triple off the wall in left-center and that was followed by a more traditional long ball when Ben Ross crushed one to straightaway center, his 11^th of the season, increasing the lead to 5-0. Ross went 2-5 with a triple, home run, two RBI, and a run scored.

Trent Baker got the start for the Saints and pitched incredibly well. After a leadoff single in the first, he struck out the next three hitters. He fanned two more in the second as he retired the side in order. An unearned run in the third put the Saints on the board. Leo Balcazar walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and took third on a groundout. Will Benson then hit a comebacker to Trent Baker. He froze the runner at third, but his throw to first was wide of Aaron Sabato and went into foul territory allowing Balcazar to score cutting the Saints lead to 5-1. Baker went 3.2 innings allowing one unearned run on one hit, while walking one and striking out seven.

The five-run second was followed by a four-run third for the Saints. With one out Hendry Mendez doubled to right-center and Kala’i Rosario walked. With two outs Tanner Schobel ripped an RBI single to left-center giving the Saints a 6-1 lead. David Bañuelos followed with a three-run moonshot to left, his fifth of the season, pushing the lead to 9-1.

Alejandro Hidalgo took over for Baker and was solid. His lone mistake was when Francisco Urbaez made it 9-2 with a solo homer to left-center in the fifth, his fourth of the season. Hidalgo went 1.1 innings allowing one run on one hit, while fanning three.

Ruddy Gomez took over in the fifth and for the second consecutive inning the Bats got a long ball. Juan Brito led off with a single to right-center and with one out Austin Hendrick deposited a two-run homer over the right field wall, his seventh of the season, getting the Bats to within 9-4. Gomez went 2.0 innings allowing two runs on two hits while striking out four.

Woo-Suk Go pitched 2.0 perfect innings and struck out two.

Saints pitchers struck out at least one in every inning, but the ninth.

The win was their sixth straight overall, seventh consecutive victory at home, tying a Triple-A franchise record and their ninth consecutive win over the Bats, extending their franchise record.

The same two teams meet in the finale of the six-game series on Sunday afternoon at CHS Field at 2:07 p.m. The Saints send LHP Aaron Rozek (2-1, 3.22) to the mound against Bats LHP Emmanuel Kent (NR). The game can be seen on the CW Twin Cities, MLB.TV, MiLB.com, and the Bally Sports Live app, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM, all presented by Northland Ford Dealers.