The St. Paul Saints broke open a tight game with an eight-run seventh inning Wednesday night and rolled to an 11-2 win over Las Vegas at Las Vegas Ballpark. Although the Aviators fought back to tie the game early, St. Paul responded immediately and then pulled away late, scoring 10 unanswered runs to drop Las Vegas to 18-15.
Henry Bolte provided the lone spark for the home side. After Michael Stefanic doubled with two outs in the third, Bolte crushed a 479-foot homer to left field, his eighth of the season, to knot the score at 2-2. For a moment, the blast shifted momentum.
However, Las Vegas could not build on it and managed just four hits the rest of the night.
Three swings set the tone
Early on, St. Paul leaned on the long ball. Orlando Arcia opened the second inning with a solo homer to left-center. Then Ben Ross followed with another solo shot in the third. Even after Bolte tied the game, the Saints answered again when Aaron Sabato lined an RBI single in the fourth to reclaim the lead.
Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang worked six innings and limited the damage outside of the three home runs. He allowed three runs on three hits while walking two and striking out one. Ultimately, he took the loss and fell to 0-2.
Seventh-inning spiral
The game turned decisively in the seventh. First, Sabato launched his second homer of the night to push the lead to 4-2. Next, St. Paul loaded the bases and never let up. Orlando Arcia ripped a two-run double, Hendry Mendez followed with a two-run single, and Alex Jackson added an RBI double. Finally, a throwing error capped the eight-run outburst and stretched the lead to 11-2.
Luis Morales and Wander Suero struggled to contain the rally, as they combined to allow seven earned runs in relief.
Saints surge
Overall, Sabato finished with two home runs and four RBI, while Arcia drove in three and Ross reached base three times. As a result, the Saints improved to 17-17 and evened the series momentum firmly in their favor.
Up Next
Now the Aviators will try to reset Thursday night at Las Vegas Ballpark. Right-hander Bash (1-2, 5.25 ERA) is scheduled to start for St. Paul, while Mason Barnett (2-0, 3.86 ERA) will take the ball for Las Vegas. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PT as the Aviators look to avoid a third straight loss.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
