TOLEDO, OH (June 14, 2026) - The lineup included three guys who were in Single-A within the last week, including one who was at Fort Myers Saturday and was making his Triple-A debut. They had a first baseman, Aaron Sabato, playing second after Matt Wallner departed, the first time he’s played any position besides first since high school. They had a guy starting in the cleanup spot in the order for the first time since 2023. Despite it all, the St. Paul Saints ripped a season-high 17 hits and won one of the more incredible games in their franchise’s history, 14-10 over the Toledo Mud Hens on Sunday afternoon at Fifth Third Field. The win improves the Saints to a season-high 10 games over .500, 39-29. Their slim playoff hopes stay alive and they will enter the final week of the first half on a five-game winning streak, winners of 12 of their last 14, but still 3.5 games back with six games to play.
Nine of the 10 hitters collected a hit, five had a multi-hit game, eight of the 10 had an RBI, and seven of the 10 scored a run. The Saints also stole a season-high five bases.
The big bats got the Saints on the board in the first with back-to-back doubles by Wallner and Sabato, the latter scoring a run, making it 1-0.
The lead didn’t last long as the Mud Hens got a long ball to take the lead in the bottom of the first. Max Clark led off with an infield single to third and with two outs Ben Malgeri hit a two-run homer to right, his ninth of the season, making it 2-1.
Graham Brown, who was promoted from Single-A Fort Myers before the game, homered to straightaway center in his first Triple-A at bat, a solo shot that tied the game at two. He became the 16th player to homer in their Saints debut, the ninth in their Triple-A debut, the fourth in their first Triple-A at bat, and he joined Mikey Perez as the only player to homer in their first at bat after being promoted from Single-A Fort Myers.
Jace Jung gave the Mud Hens the lead back in the bottom of the inning with a solo homer to center, his 10th of the season, making it 3-2.
Noah Cardenas put the Saints back on top in the third. Tanner Schobel led off the inning with a double to left and Cardenas followed with a two-run homer off the pole in left, his second of the season, giving the Saints a 4-3 lead.
For the third straight time the Mud Hens answered in the bottom half. Clark led off with a single to right-center and Max Anderson walked. With one out Malgeri tied the game at four with an RBI single to left-center. Eduardo Valencia gave the Mud Hens a 6-4 lead with a two-run single to center. After a Trei Cruz single put runners at the corners, a sacrifice fly to center by Corey Julks increased the lead to 7-4.
The Mud Hens made it four straight innings with a run when they tacked on one in the fourth. Andrew Navigato led off with a double down the third base line and scored on a single to right-center by Clark putting the Mud Hens up 8-4.
The Saints cut it to two in the fifth as Schobel, who started in the cleaneup spot for the first time since 2023, led off with a walk and Cardenas singled him to second. Henry Kusiak, who was playing for the Mighty Mussels as recently as eight days ago, singled to center, scoring Schobel making it 8-5. With two outs and a runner at first, Brown walked putting runners at first at second. On a wild pitch the runners moved up and Kusiak scored from the third when the catcher Valencia’s throw down to second tipped off the glove of Navigato and trickled into shallow center as the Saints cut the deficit to 8-6.
After trailing by four the Saints took the lead in the seventh. Cardenas led off by reaching on a hit by pitch and Kusiak followed with a single to left putting runners at first and second. With one out Brown reached on catcher’s interference loading the bases. Harry Genth, who was promoted from High-A Cedar Rapids prior to the game, was hit by a pitch to force in a run cutting the deficit to 8-7. A sac fly by Ben Ross knotted the game at eight as all the runners moved up. That proved big because after a pitching change, Gabby Gonzalez’ infield single to short plated both runs giving the Saints a 10-8 lead.
A second four-run inning extended the Saints lead to six. With one out in the eighth Cardenas singled to left. He finished 3-5 with a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored. Kusiak then doubled to left-center putting runners at second and third. He went 3-5 with a double, RBI, and three runs scored. Back-to-back RBI singles by David Bañuelos and Brown gave the Saints a 12-8 lead. Brown finished the night 3-3 with a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored in his Triple-A debut. With two outs a two-run double to right-center by Ross increased the lead to 14-8.
It got a little tight in the ninth as with two outs and nobody on Anderson walked, Gage Workman singled him to second, and Malgeri made it 14-9 with an RBI single to right. Eduardo Valencia followed with an RBI double to left getting the Saints lead to 14-10. After a pitching change that brought Drew Smith out of the bullpen, he got Trei Cruz to foul out to the catcher Cardenas to end the game.
Relievers Ricky Castro, 2.0 hitless, scoreless innings with two walks and two strikeouts, and C.J. Culpepper, two perfect innings with four strikeouts, helped restore order from the fifth through the eighth for the Saints.
The Saints are off on Monday and return to action on Tuesday night at CHS Field at 7:07 p.m. against the Omaha Storm Chasers. Both teams are TBA. The game can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities area, MLB.TV, MLB+, and the Bally Sports Live app, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM, all presented by Northland Ford Dealers.