Saints rally to take game 1 of doubleheader

The St. Paul Saints showed plenty of resilience Friday night at CHS Field, rallying late to take Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Columbus Clippers by an 8-5 final. After falling behind early and watching the Clippers threaten late, the Saints answered with timely hitting and aggressive offense to grab the opener in front of the home crowd.

The visitors struck first in the opening inning, capitalizing on an error before bringing home the game’s first run on an RBI single from Juan Brito. St. Paul wasted little time responding. Leading off the bottom half, Kaelen Culpepper launched a solo homer to even the score at 1-1, continuing his impressive power stretch this season. The Saints kept pressure on throughout the early innings, grinding out quality at-bats and forcing Columbus pitchers into difficult spots.

The middle innings turned into a back-and-forth battle before the Saints finally broke through with a decisive rally. St. Paul pieced together clutch hits and productive situational baseball to erase a deficit and build breathing room late in the contest. The offense showed patience and balance throughout the lineup, turning small opportunities into a crooked number that shifted momentum firmly toward the home dugout. Columbus mounted a push over the final two innings, but the Saints bullpen and defense held steady when it mattered most.

With the victory, the Saints continued to show why they remain difficult to put away, especially at CHS Field. The comeback win highlighted the club’s ability to respond under pressure and capitalize on late-game opportunities. Between Culpepper’s early spark and the offense delivering in key moments late, St. Paul opened the doubleheader with one of its more entertaining wins of the season.