COLUMBUS, OH (September 18, 2026) - Going into Thursday night’s game Jake Rucker was mired in an 0-23 slump. He broke out of it with his first Triple-A three-hit game. What did he do for an encore? He came through with a two out, two strike, two-run double in the ninth that flipped the game upside down as the St. Paul Saints won 4-3 at Huntington Park.
The Saints took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth, but Kody Huff tied the game with a leadoff solo homer to right, his 23rd of the season. Blake Perkins then followed with a triple off the wall in right-center and he scored on a sacrifice fly from Dom Nuñez giving the Clippers a 3-2 lead.
In the ninth, Matt Wallner led off with a looping single to right and that was followed by a broken bat infield single to third by Kala’i Rosario putting runners at first and second. Cody Morissette’s fielder’s choice ground out put runners at the corners. The Clippers went to their bullpen for hard throwing righty Carlos Hernández. Tristan Gray nearly tied the game as he lined a shot to the left side, but shortstop Dayan Frias made a spectacular diving catch to his right. That brought up Rucker. With an 0-2 count, Morissette took off from first and Rucker drilled a line drive down the left field line that hit the chalk as Wallner scored and Morissette just beat the throw home giving the Saints a 4-3 lead.
Marco Raya closed it out in the ninth. He got Cooper Ingle to ground out to first before walking Kahlil Watson. Raya would end the game by getting Kyle Manzardo to hit a ground ball up the middle where the shortstop Gray was playing. He fielded it, touched second, and fired to first for the game ending double play.
Morissette put the Saints on the board with a second inning solo blast to right, his 17th at Triple-A and 16th with the Saints, making it 1-0. It was his 18th overall, a new career high. The home run was also the 250th hit by the Saints, giving them the most in all of baseball and tied for the second most hit in modern-day Minor League history.
The first two hitters reached for the Clippers in the fourth on a leadoff single to left-center by Perkins and a walk to Nuñez. With one out they pulled off a double steal. That proved costly for the Saints because Ryan Gallagher uncorked a wild pitch that scored Perkins tying the game at one. It was the only run Gallagher allowed in his 4.0 innings of relief, giving up three hits, while walking two, and striking out three.
With one out in the sixth Aaron Sabato singled to right, took second on a groundout, and scored on a double to right by Kala’i Rosario putting the Saints back up 2-1. Rosario finished 3-4 with a double and an RBI.
Kendry Rojas started for the Saints and was scheduled to go just 2.0 innings. He didn’t allow a run on one hit, while walking one and striking out three in those 2.0 innings.
The same two teams meet in game five of a six-game series on Saturday night at Huntington Park at 6:05 p.m. (CT). The Saints send RHP Jack Anderson (5-6, 4.84) to the mound against Clippers RHP Trenton Denholm (11-5, 4.86). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.