Varland Nearly Unhittable Out Of Relief, Saints Take Down Storm Chasers 3-2

PAPILLION, NE (August 28, 2024) - If this was Louie Varland’s audition for a September call-up out of the bullpen then he earned the park. Varland pitched 50 shutout innings of relief allowing one hit and the St. Paul Saints held on for a 3-2 victory over the Omaha Storm Chasers at Werner Park on Wednesday night.

For the second consecutive game the Saints put up a crooked number in the first. Back-to-back walks to Payton Eeles and Brooks Lee to start the game put runners at first and second. Eeles swiped third and scored on a sacrifice fly from DaShawn Keirsey Jr. giving the Saints a 1-0 lead. A ground out by Yunior Severino moved Lee to second and he scored on a double off the left-center field wall by Michael Helman increasing the lead to 2-0. Lee finished the game 0-3 with a walk and run scored.

Jeff Brigham was the opener for the Saints and after pitching a scoreless first, the Storm Chasers got one off him in the second. Nate Eaton led off the bottom of the second with a double into the left field corner. He took third on a ground out and scored on a groundout from Devin Mann cutting the Saints lead to 2-1.

The Saints got the run back in their next at bat. Keirsey Jr. led off the third with a single to center. It was his 112^th of the season putting him all alone for fourth most hits in a single-season in franchise history. Keirsey Jr. stole second and moved to third on a single to left by Yunior Severino. A sacrifice fly from Jair Camargo gave the Saints a 3-1 lead. Keirsey Jr. finished 2-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and two stolen bases.

Louie Varland came out of the bullpen in the third and was nearly flawless. The first batter he faced, Aaron Nola, reached on a throwing error by the catcher Patrick Winkel. He retired the next three hitters, two on strikeouts.

In the fourth Varland retired the first two, the second on a strikeout, before walking Nelson Velázquez, but got Mann to pop out to end the inning.

Varland retired five in a row before a one out walk in the sixth, but he fanned the next two hitters to end the inning.

The lone hit Varland allowed came in the seventh, a one out hot smash to third that was fielded on a diving short hop by Rylan Bannon, but his throw from his knee wasn’t in time to get Mann. Varland would fan Cam Devaney looking before getting Austin Nola to fly out to end the inning. Varland went 5.0 shutout innings allowing one hit while walking two and striking out nine, tying Patrick Murphy (2023) for the most strikeouts out of relief by a Saints pitcher in franchise history.

After Varland left the game the Storm Chasers got to within one in the eighth. John Rave led off with a triple to right-center and scored on a sacrifice fly by Drew Waters cutting the Saints lead to 3-2.

Diego Castillo locked it down in the ninth. He struck out Mann to start the inning before walking Devanney. Castillo came back to strike out Nola looking and then Yunior Severino made a diving play at first on a ball hit by Rave. Severino got up and touched first to end the game earning Castillo his eighth save of the season.

The same two teams meet in game three of a six-game series on Thursday night at Werner Park at 6:35 p.m. The Saints send RHP Randy Dobnak (10-6, 3.81) to the mound against Storm Chasers LHP Tyson Guerrero (Triple-A Debut). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.