When a baseball hitter gets on a roll, the cliche is that he is "seeing the ball better."

For Salt Lake Bee infielder Casey Smith, it's not just a saying. It's fact.

Smith went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a pair of runs scored in leading the Bees to a 12-4 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers on Wednesday at Franklin Covey Field. That raised his season batting average to .333.

Last year Smith was a .221 hitter for the Stingers.

The big difference? This year he actually is seeing the ball.

Smith had Lasik surgery on his eyes two years ago, but excessive scar tissue on his right eye after the procedure made his vision unclear when his eyes dilate. "So when it gets dark, I have trouble seeing," Smith said.

That was a huge problem last season. The vast majority of the games are played at night.

But Smith has found a solution. He now puts drops in his eyes about eight hours before game time. "They keep my eyes from dilating, and it makes a world of difference," he said.

Smith's big night was part of a second straight huge offensive game for the Bees. Salt Lake has scored 27 runs in two games against the Rainiers.

"Obviously, the guys are swinging the bats well," said Bees manager Brian Harper.

The game opened like it would be a repeat of Tuesday night's 15-14 marathon, as both starting pitchers were hit hard in the first inning. When the dust had settled, the Bees held a 4-2 lead.

But both lefty pitchers — Salt Lake's Steven Shell and Tacoma's Cesar Jimenez — settled down. Neither one gave up a run in the next four frames.

The Rainiers rallied to knot the game at 4-4 in the sixth inning with a pair of runs. It could have been worse for the Bees, but Shell pitched out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam. He ended the inning by getting Tacoma's Michael Garciaparra — Nomar's brother — to fly out.

Salt Lake regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by center fielder Reggie Willits. The Bees added two insurance runs on a wild pitch and a run-scoring single by Smith off veteran Rainier reliever Kevin Appier, the 38-year-old, long-time major leaguer.

The Bees put the game away in the bottom of the eighth with five more runs. Salt Lake's Nick Gorneault, who led the PCL in RBIs a year ago, drove in two runs with a double off Appier. Gorneault now has a dozen consecutive games with at least one RBI, a franchise record. The previous mark was 10 straight games by Benardo Brito of the Salt Lake Buzz, in 1994.

Jonathan Rouwenhorst pitched two perfect innings of relief for the Bees.

BEES WAX: Willits' lead-off single in the first inning extended his streak of reaching base successfully by walk or hit to 20 consecutive home games. He has gotten on base now in 15 consecutive games overall. . . . Angels starter Bartolo Colon is scheduled to make an injury rehab start for the Bees on Tuesday in Fresno when Salt Lake takes on the Grizzlies. Colon was placed on the disabled list on April 19 with inflammation of the right shoulder. . . . Attendance for the game Wednesday was 4,021.

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E-mail: lojo@desnews.com