Saints cruise to Game 1 win at Buffalo before losing Game 2 – Twin Cities

After weather interrupted Wednesday’s game in the third inning, the St. Paul Saints and Buffalo Bisons returned to the field Thursday for 16 innings, beginning with a replay of Wednesday’s game.

Buffalo’s pitchers might have preferred not to return to the game at all.

The Bisons walked 15 St. Paul batters for the game – a Saints franchise record – in an 18-3 victory in Thursday’s opener. Buffalo had a better time in the second game, winning 5-1 in the regular match.

The score was 3-1 when rain interrupted play in the top of the third inning Wednesday, with the Saints going ahead on a three-run homer by Tony Kemp. Buffalo scored a goal before the rain, then added another point in the third a day later. It was all St. Paul from there.

The Saints scored four times in the fourth. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. had an RBI single, Austin Martin and Chris Williams both walked with the bases loaded and Will Holland scored another run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

In the seventh, Matt Wallner scored a run with a sacrifice fly and Yunior Severino had an RBI single. Keirsey added a two-run double in the eighth before St. Paul followed with seven runs in the ninth. Diego A. Castillo had an RBI double, Keirsey and Wallner had RBI singles and Severino finished it off with a grand slam, his seventh home run of the season.

The offensive explosion and walks enabled reliever Scott Blewett (2-2), who pitched three scoreless innings Thursday. Keirsey had four hits, four RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base. Severino had four hits and five RBIs, while Martin walked five times.

St. Paul might have exhausted its offense for the day.

In Game 2, the Saints only scored on Patrick Winkel’s solo home run in the second and totaled five hits, including two from Michael Helman.

Adam Plutko (0-1) started the game for St. Paul, allowing three runs on three hits and one walk in 2 1/3 innings. Martin walked two more times in the second game.