Bases Loaded Walk In 10th Provides Saints With 3-2 Walk-Off Win

ST. PAUL, MN (July 29, 2021) - The three straight losses in extra innings to start the season seems like a distant memory for the St. Paul Saints. They won their fourth straight extra inning game getting a bases loaded walk to Tomás Telis in the bottom of the 10th inning for a 3-2 victory over the Indianapolis Indians on Thursday night at CHS Field in front of 6,883. The win is the third in the row for the Saints and it’s the fourth consecutive series in which they’ve won the first three games. They improved to a season best six games over .500 at 40-34.

With the game tied at two in the top of the 10th and Cole Tucker the placed runner at second, reliever Nick Vincent did the job. After a leadoff walk to Bligh Madris, T.J. Rivera tried to bunt the runners over, but Vincent fielded his position and threw out Madris at third. Vincent then got Taylor Davis to fly out to center before getting Dee Strange-Gordon on a fielder’s choice ground out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the 10th with J.T. Riddle the placed runner at second, Drew Stankiewitz singled him to third with one out. Stankiewicz took second on defensive indifference as Keon Broxton struck out. The Indians elected to intentionally walk Jose Miranda to load the bases and that was followed by a four pitch walk to Telis to force in the winning run.

The Saints got a superb pitching performance out of Matt Shoemaker. He didn’t allow a hit in the first two innings before giving up a leadoff single to Taylor Davis in the third. Shoemaker retired the next two hitters before Tucupita Marcano was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.

The Saints got on the board first in the bottom of the third when Broxton clubbed a two-out solo homer to right, his eighth of the season, to make it 1-0. The Saints could have taken a larger lead in the inning after Miranda walked and Telis singled him to third. Drew Maggi then hit a deep fly ball to left that looked like it would be a three-run homer, but the left fielder Madris jumped and robbed Maggi of what would have been his career high 12th home run.

Meanwhile, from the fourth through the sixth Shoemaker allowed just a one out walk in the fifth to Madris. In the seventh, Shoemaker gave up a one-out single to Christian Bethancourt, but ended his night by striking out Cole Tucker and having Bethancourt thrown out trying to steal on the strikeout. Shoemaker went 7.0 shutout innings allowing two hits while walking two and striking out six.

The Saints picked up an insurance run in the seventh when Jimmy Kerrigan doubled to deep center with one out. He moved to third on a groundout by JT Riddle and scored on a wild pitch increasing the lead to 2-0.

The Indians tied it in the eighth off of reliever Andrew Vasquez. He hit the first batter he faced and Rivera followed with a two-run homer to right, his fifth of the season.

The same two teams meet in game four of the six-game series at 7:05 p.m. at CHS Field. The Saints send LHP Andrew Albers (4-3, 4.43) to the mound against Indians RHP Mitch Keller (1-1, 3.21). The game can be seen on FOX 9+ and MiLB.TV and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.