She won using the same numbers that previously won her $25,000

By Kate Northrop

BALTIMORE, Md. — A Maryland woman says she is on a lucky streak after stepping out of the Maryland Lottery's headquarters just to win a $50,000 Pick 5 prize right across the street.

59-year-old Victoria Sadler can't believe her luck after she won $50,000, not only after having just claimed another lottery prize that same day, but doing so using the same numbers that won her a $25,000 prize the year before.

Last week, the lucky Nottingham resident visited Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to claim a second-chance prize she won from the Lottery's "Contestant of the Game Promotion."

In that promotion, players may enter their winning and non-winning "Home Run Riches" Fast Play tickets into their My Lottery Rewards accounts. During the baseball season, the Lottery selects one Contestant for each Baltimore Orioles regular season game. The winners receive $500 for being selected and can earn an additional $500 for each home run the Orioles hit during their designated game.

Sadler was selected as the Contestant of the Game in the Baltimore Orioles game against the Minnesota Twins on July 8, Lottery Managing Director of Communications Seth Elkin told Lottery Post. The Orioles beat the Twins 6-2 that day but did not hit any home runs in the game, so she walked away with a $500 prize.

With her second-chance prize in-hand, Sadler left Lottery headquarters and still felt lucky, so she went across the street from Lottery offices to the Royal Farms convenience store on Washington Boulevard in Baltimore to play Pick 5, her favorite game.

She remembered she had success last year playing numbers that resembled her grandson's birthday, which had amounted to a $25,000 prize. This year was no different.

Sadler placed a $1 straight bet for both the midday and evening drawings on Aug. 10 and won a $50,000 top prize with the numbers 1-1-1-6-4 in the midday drawing.

"When I realized I won, my jaw was on the floor!" the grandmother told the Lottery. "I was so happy, I couldn't believe it."

It was right back to the Lottery office for her, or rather, she had the experience of knowing that she had to make an appointment to claim her prize first.

The lottery enthusiast told officials that she plans on saving and investing much of the prize, and that she also wants to treat her family to a trip to Walt Disney World.

Royal Farms, the retailer that sold her the winning ticket, also lucks out and will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery.

The Baltimore Orioles have recorded 155 home runs so far this season, and the Contestant of the Game Promotion has awarded a total of $193,000, Elkin said. To celebrate the Lottery's 50th Anniversary, the Lottery also awarded a $50,000 prize in May to the Contestant of the Game when the Orioles hit their 50th home run of the season.

The final drawing of the season in the promotion is taking place today, which will select the final Contestants of the Game for the last month of the season and will award another $50,000 prize.

The odds of winning the top prize in Pick 5 by matching all five winning numbers in exact order are 1 in 100,000. Drawings take place twice a day at 12:28 pm and 7:56 pm EST.

All winning numbers, prizes, and odds are published on Lottery Post's Maryland Lottery Results page right after each drawing.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Victoria Sadler is on a lucky streak, winning a $50,000 Pick 5 prize a year after winning a $25,000 prize using the same numbers.