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FARGO, N.D. – Cole Nelson pitched six-plus shutout innings and the St. Paul Saints avoided a three-game sweep with a 16-0 victory over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in front of a sellout crowd of 4,669 fans at Newman Outdoor Field Thursday.

St. Paul (38-38) avoided losing their sixth straight game with the win and snapped Fargo-Moorhead’s (48-29) five-game winning streak. The Saints’ 16-run margin was the worst loss of the season for the RedHawks.

After being re-signed on the same day, Cole Nelson returned to the Saints Thursday and made an immediate impact. Nelson kept the RedHawks in-check by not allowing a hit until the fifth and the Saints turned four double plays in the game – the most by a Fargo-Moorhead opponent this season.

Nelson pitched six-plus, allowed three hits, struck out two and walked two batters to improve his record to 3-2 for St. Paul this season. Bryan Henry pitched two innings of scoreless relief and Dylan Thomas finished out the ninth for the Saints.

St. Paul scored four runs in the second, three in the fifth, two in the seventh and seven in the ninth to round out their scoring.

The Saints combined for 15 hits as a team, with Brandon Tripp leading the way with a 3-for-5 and 2-RBI performance. Dwight Childs and Willie Cabrera picked up two hits and three RBIs each, while Adam Frost scored three runs and had two hits for St. Paul.

Alex Caldera dropped to 8-5 in the loss. He went six-plus and allowed nine runs (eight earned) on six hits, while walking five. Paul Burnside pitched two innings of relief and didn’t allow a run of his own.

Ronnie Bourquin, Jeremiah Piepkorn, Nic Jackson and Todd Jennings each had a hit for the RedHawks.

The RedHawks travel to Kansas City and take on the T-Bones at 7:05 p.m. Friday. They return home Monday to host the Rockland Boulders in a four-game series. Tickets are available at fmredhawks.com or by calling (701) 235-6161.