The St. Paul Saints escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday night and went on to defeat the Gary SouthShore RailCats 2-1 in 12 innings.
With the score tied 1-1, Gary began the ninth with a triple and two intentional walks, forcing the Saints to play their infield and outfield in. The next batter hit what appeared to be a game-winning sacrifice fly, but after an appeal by the Saints, Colin Willis was ruled out for leaving third base too soon, resulting in a double play. The next batter popped out to end the threat.
The Saints (40-33) broke the tie in the 12th on an RBI infield single by Breland Almadova.
Four Saints relievers threw 5 ⅔ shutout innings after former Minnesota State Mankato pitcher Jason Hoppe gave up just one run in 6 ⅓ innings. Nate Hanson had two hits and extended his hitting streak to 18 games.
The Saints have won three in a row.
Minnesota-Morris fills football vacancy
The Minnesota-Morris football program named Marty Hoffmann and Matthew Johnson as co-football coaches for the 2017 season. Hoffmann and Johnson replace Rob Cushman, who resigned last week after two seasons to accept a position at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Hoffmann has served as the Cougars defensive and strength/conditioning coordinator for four seasons. Johnson has been with the Cougars for 13 seasons and most recently served as the offensive line coach.
Mavericks soccer picked to win NSIC
The Minnesota State Mankato soccer team was picked to finish first in the NSIC in the preseason coaches' poll. The Mavericks received 11 of 16 first-place votes.
Staff reports
