He hits in the nine spot, and he finished the season hitting .228, but come postseason, Jake Krause is a proven hero for the Saints.
Thursday night in front of 1,456 at Midway Stadium, he went 1-for-4, but he made his hit matter. With the score tied in the bottom of the seventh, Krause sent a drive to center to score Jason Cooper from third and propel the Saints over Grand Prairie 5-2 and a 2-0 series advantage heading back to Texas.
"I was just trying to stay simple," said Krause, who said he's come up in a lot of clutch situations like that one this year. "You try to block it out, you try to stay within yourself, but with two strikes, I was just like, 'Put it in play and run like hell.'"
The come-from-behind victory marked a trend this season for the Saints, who have made the close victory their identity.
"This group of guys -- they want it," manager George Tsamis said. "And they give it everything they have."
It wasn't the first time Krause was involved in some late-game magic. In the final game of the division series, the 23-year-old infielder hit a grounder to third, but the throw to first was in the dirt and got away, allowing the winning run to score and advance the Saints.
"When we're in a tough spot, it just seems like someone steps up and you just never know who it's going to be," said Ryan Patterson, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI. "That's the sign of a good team."
Krause's hit gave the Saints their first lead of the game. One night after lighting up former NL Rookie of the Year Jason Jennings with an offensive explosion, the home team looked confounded by Grand Prairie starter Tim Brown for the first three innings, sending just nine batters to the plate while the AirHogs opened up a two-run lead.
