The Toledo Mud Hens earned their first nine-inning shutout win of the season, downing the St. Paul Saints 6-0 on Thursday night at Fifth Third Field.

The Hens scored in the first, third, and fifth innings before adding three insurance runs in the eighth. Parker Meadows led the offense, going 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI.

Toledo’s lone shutout victory earlier in the season was a seven-inning, 4-0 win over the Columbus Clippers in the opener of an April 22 doubleheader.

On Thursday, Hens pitching limited St. Paul to just three hits and a 1-for-10 performance with runners in scoring position. Starter Matt Manning, in the third appearance of his rehab assignment from the Detroit Tigers, allowed one hit, struck out six, and walked five in four innings on the mound.

Billy Lescher, Brenan Hanifee, and Miguel Diaz combined to allow two hits over the final five innings. Hanifee struck out four in three frames.

Toledo took a first-inning lead when Meadows singled, stole second, and scored on a Nick Solak groundout.

Meadows led off the third with another single, advanced to third on a Justyn-Henry Malloy hit, and scored his second run on a Tyler Nevin sacrifice fly.

Nevin added a second RBI in the fifth with a solo home run to make it 3-0. Corey Joyce’s two-run double in the eighth scored Andre Lipcius and Donny Sands, and Meadows rounded out the scoring with a sac fly to bring home Andrew Knapp.

The Saints (41-30) got a one-out triple from Elliot Soto in the top of the fifth but could not bring the run home. They loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth while it was still a three-run game, but Hanifee got Chris Williams to ground into a forceout to end the inning.

Toledo (32-39) has won two of the first three games of the series against St. Paul. Friday’s contest is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Fifth Third Field, with Bryan Sammons set to take the mound for the Hens against St. Paul’s Louie Varland.

First Published June 23, 2023, 3:50 a.m.