Into The Knight, Saints Get Walk-Off Single In 10th, Win 7-6 Over Bats

_ST. PAUL, MN _*(September 16, 2022) - *The St. Paul Saints had the bases loaded in the ninth and couldn’t score. They received a franchise record tying high 13 walks. They left a franchise record 20 men on base. All that mattered, though, was they got a walk-off single from Nash Knight in the bottom of the 10th to beat the Louisville Bats 7-6 on Friday night at CHS Field.

With the Saints down 5-2 in the eighth, Major League rehabber, Ryan Jeffers, would get the Saints even in the bottom of the inning. Knight led off the inning with a walk and Elliot Soto singled him to second. After a fielder’s choice groundout put runners at the corners and a strikeout to Frank Nigro, Jeffers came to the plate. He crushed the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for a three-run homer, his first with the Saints, tying the game at five. Jeffers went 2-6 with a home run, three RBI, and a run scored.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Saints loaded the bases with nobody out on a walk, hit by pitch, and error, but they couldn’t plate the winning run. Frank Nigro struck out looking, Jeffers fouled out to first, and John Andreoli struck out, sending the game to the 10th, the 21st extra inning game for the Saints, the most in all of baseball.

In the 10th with runners at the corners and two outs, Eric Yang came through for the Bats with an RBI single to left making it 6-5.

In the bottom of the 10th with Andreoli the placed runner at second, Dalton Shuffield doubled off the wall in right sending Andreoli to third. Chris Williams was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Andrew Bechtold drew a walk forcing in the tying run. That brought up Knight. The Bats employed a five-man infield and a two man outfield. Knight drilled a deep fly to center that fell untouched on the warning track for a walk-off single. Knight finished the evening 3-3 with three walks, an RBI and two runs scored. He becomes the first player in franchise history to reach base safely in six plate appearances. Five players in franchise history had reached base safely in five straight plate appearances.

The number six rated prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization, Brandon Williamson, got the start and struggled with his control in his 2.0 innings of work. With one out in the second he walked three straight batters and the Saints capitalized. Cole Sturgeon’s sacrifice fly got the Saints on the board and gave them a 1-0 lead. Major League rehabber Jorge Polanco followed with a line drive single to left-center increasing the lead to 2-0. Polanco played five innings and went 1-2 with an RBI.

Saints starter Mario Sanchez was superb going 4.0 shutout innings allowing two hits while walking two and striking out one.

The Bats got a run back in the sixth when Mike Siani reached on a bunt single to first. He moved to third on a single by Lorenzo Cedrola and scored on a sacrifice fly from Cristian Santana making it 2-1.

In the seventh the Bats grabbed their first lead of the night. Leonardo Rivas led off with a walk and Michael De Leon singled him to second. After a sacrifice bunt, Isiah Gilliam put the Bats up 3-2 with a two-run double down the third base line.

The Bats grabbed two insurance runs in the eighth as Juniel Querecuto led off with a walk and Santana followed with a two-run homer to right, his 11th of the season, making it 5-2. Those insurance runs weren’t enough as the Saints pulled off their 33rd come from behind victory.

The same two teams meet in game five of the six-game series on Saturday night at 7:07 p.m. The Saints send RHP Dereck Rodríguez (7-4, 5.02) to the mound against Bats RHP Ben Lively (2-5, 4.39). The game can be seen on FOX9+ and MiLB.TV and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.