Saints erupt for eight-run first inning in 10-5 win over Columbus

Eight runs in the first inning turned this one into a sprint, not a race, as the Saints overwhelmed Columbus before 4,826 fans at CHS Field and rolled to a 10-5 win.

St. Paul’s opening burst started with Kaelen Culpepper leading off with a single, and it never really stopped. Ryan Kreidler doubled and scored, Kyler Fedko and Gabby Gonzalez kept traffic moving, and Orlando Arcia punched a two-run single to stretch his hitting streak to 14 games. Aaron Sabato followed with an RBI fielder’s choice, Alex Jackson unloaded a three-run homer for his seventh long ball of the season, and Fedko capped the inning with another RBI single. By the time the dust settled, the Saints had sent 13 batters to the plate and turned a tight Triple-A matchup into a runaway.

The eruption fit a lineup that has been producing in bunches. St. Paul had been averaging 10 runs per game over its previous eight contests, and the Saints also extended their home run streak to nine straight games. They finished with nine hits, drew five walks and went 5-for-8 with runners in scoring position, a line that showed how quickly the inning snowballed once Columbus lost the strike zone and the game plan had to shift to survival.

John Klein gave the Saints enough behind that early cushion to keep control of the night. Fresh off his first two Major League appearances, he worked 3.0 innings, allowed one hit and one run, walked none and struck out five. Klein retired the first eight batters he faced before Columbus finally broke through on a solo homer, and Marco Raya then handled the middle innings by retiring six of seven hitters out of the bullpen.

Columbus made a push later, with Kody Huff hitting a solo homer and Kahlil Watson adding a two-run shot to trim the margin, but the Saints had already done the hard part. St. Paul added two insurance runs in the seventh, when Culpepper lifted a sacrifice fly and Jackson came home on a balk, and Drew Smith closed the door in the ninth after the Clippers loaded the bases. At 21-18, the Saints moved three games over .500 for a season-tying high and sat 3 1/2 games out of first place, their closest position to the top since April 4. With the wind blowing 19 mph out to center field and the temperature at 64 degrees under partly cloudy skies, the first inning may have been the only weather Columbus could not escape.