Saints Pound Out 16 Hits In 7-4 Victory Over Bisons

BUFFALO, NY (June 25, 2022) - Michael Helman’s two home runs and Elliot Soto’s career tying high four hits led the way in a 16-hit attack for the St. Paul Saints. Against the second best pitching team in the International League the Saints came away with a 7-4 victory on Saturday night at Sahlen Field over the Buffalo Bisons.

In the second, the Bisons got on the board first. With one out, Chavez Young walked. He stole second and scored on a double from Kellin Deglan giving the Bisons a 1-0 lead.

The Saints grabbed the lead in the fourth when they loaded the bases with nobody out. Roy Morales and Michael Helman led off with back-to-back singles. That was followed by a walk to Curtis Terry that loaded the bases. Elliot Soto then hit a ground ball right back up the middle that scored Morales and Helman giving the Saints a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the inning the Bisons knotted it up at two. With one out, Young doubled to left field. He stole third and scored on a shallow pop out on the outfield grass to the second baseman Helman.

The Bisons got a long ball to leadoff the fifth from Nathan Lukes, his sixth of the season, making it 3-2.

From there the Saints offense took over. In the sixth, Helman led off with a solo homer to left, his first of the night and third of the season, tying the game at three. Three batters later John Andreoli smoked a solo homer to left, his second in as many games, fourth with the Saints and sixth of the season, making it 4-3 Saints.

In the eighth, the Saints loaded the bases with nobody out when Terry reached on an error by the first baseman Jordan Groshans and back-to-back singles by Soto and Andreoli. After a fielder’s choice erased Terry at the plate, Spencer Steer made it 5-3 with an RBI single to left.

The Saints, who had carried a lead into the eighth in the previous four games against the Bisons, added some insurance in the ninth. With two outs and nobody on Helman launched his second homer of the game, and fourth of the season, increasing the lead to 6-3. Helman went 3-5 with two homers, two RBI and three runs scored. Terry followed with a triple to center and scored on Soto’s single to left making it 7-3. Soto finished with a career tying high four hits in five at bats, drove in three, and scored a run.

Things got tight in the bottom of the ninth as Samad Taylor led off the inning with a solo homer, his ninth of the season, cutting the lead to three. With two outs an infield single and a walk brought the tying run up in Chavez. Juan Minaya got him to fly out to left to end the game.

Eight of nine Saints hitters collected a hit with five having multi-hit days. Jake Cave went 2-5 extending his streak to 40 consecutive game reaching base safely, second longest in Minor League Baseball this season.

The same two teams meet in the finale of the six-game series on Sunday afternoon at 12:05 p.m. (CT) at Sahlen Field. The Saints send RHP Mario Sanchez (4-1, 3.00) to the mound and the Bisons are TBA. The game can be seen on MiLB.TV and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.