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VALLEY CITY, N.D. (Evin Casey/NewsDakota.com) – After a 10-day layoff between games, the Saints used a 6-run 1st inning and a complete team effort in a rout of the Fargo-Moorhead Mets 13-3 in 7 innings Wednesday night.

JT Reed catalyzed the Saints with a leadoff walk. Then Avery Bennefeld in his Saints debut, blooped a single to right in which Reed scored all the way from first. After Jake Miller was hit by a pitch, Nate Rodriguez doubled in both Bennefeld and Miller to make it 3-0. Will Hlady’s 2-out RBI single made it 4-0. A Will Hough single and a wild pitch scoring Hlady made it 5-0. Ross Powell’s RBI single would put a cap on the big inning.
Tom Paulson came in relief for the Mets to start the 2nd inning and the Saints continued their onslaught with two more runs on a Bennefeld walk, an RBI triple by Miller, and an RBI ground out by Jesse Johnson. The Saints added one more in the 3rd on a Reed RBI single to make it 9-0.
The Mets cut the Saints lead to 9-3 with an unearned run in the 4th off Johnson and two runs (one earned) in the 6th off Rodriguez. The Saints would make it 10-3 in the bottom of the 6th on Miller’s RBI single.
The Saints then sent the home crowd home early and satisfied in the bottom of the 7th. Johnson reached on an error and came around to score on Seth Soderholm’s double, making the score 11-3. Soderholm would score on Powell’s second RBI single of the game. With two outs, Reed would end the game on the 10-run rule after the center fielder misplayed a fly ball scoring Hough.
Eight different starters had at least one hit, drove in a run and scored a run. The offense was lead by Wil Hough who was 3 for 4 with a run. Avery Bennefeld was 2 for 3 with a triple, an rbi and stolen base. Jake Miller was 2 for 3 with a triple and two rbi,