SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Matt Shepherd turned in a strong performance on the hill but the St. Paul Saints (61-39) came back to walk off on the Saltdogs (52-48) 5-4 in the season finale in front of 7,570 fans at CHS Field Monday afternoon.
The North champion Saints tied the game at 4-4 in the eighth and Tony Caldwell spanked a walk-off single following a Vinny DiFazio lead-off triple in the ninth.
Shepherd pitched six innings, allowing just one earned run but took a no-decision.
Ryan Wiggins went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
American Association Pitcher of the Year Lindsey Caughel threw a scoreless inning of relief, ending the year with a league-best 2.09 ERA.
The Saltdogs improved their win total by 18 games from 2015 in the first season under Bobby Brown’s leadership.
Sioux City clinched its second straight Central championship with a 10-4 win over Texas Sunday. Catch all the playoff action online at AmericanAssociationBaseball.TV.