PASADENA, CA – The Saints hosted the MLB Academy Barons on July 23, for a Saturday night contest at Jackie Robinson Field in Pasadena, Calif. For the second night in a row, the Saints were firing on all cylinders and shut out the Barons 7-0.   

The Saints got off to a quick start in this one, jumping out to a quick two-run lead in the first inning. Longtime Saint Drew Cowley (Oregon) got the line moving in the bottom half of the inning with a triple. Matt Wong (Hawaii) then sent a two-out single to bring Cowley around to score. After Peyton Holt (Arkansas) advanced Wong by drawing a walk, Matt Marlow (Regis) brought him around to score with an RBI single of his own.    

Arroyo Seco built on the lead in the second, with Jack Walker (Louisiana Tech) leading off the inning with a double. Max Blessinger (Pasadena CC) advanced Walker to third with a single, and Walker then scored on an error by the pitcher.    

The Saints were carried through the game’s middle innings by strong pitching. Gavino Rosales (LA Mission College) made his second appearance of the year, throwing four innings and setting down three via the strikeout.   

Jacob Henderson (Iowa) entered the game in the fifth, putting in four innings of work as well and striking out a substantial seven batters.   

The Saints struck again on the offensive side in the seventh inning. Peyton Holt got the line moving, getting hit by a pitch. He then stole second base just before Matt Marlow reached base on a walk. A double steal by Holt and Marlow put them both in scoring position for Jacob Sanchez (UTRGV) to shoot a two-run single into the outfield.   

Arroyo Seco’s final runs of the game came in the ninth inning when Drew Cowley again got the party started with a single. Artin Biageyian (Glendale CC) then notched a hit in his first at-bat, and Cowley advanced to third base. A pair of wild pitches brought Cowley in to score and moved Biageyian only 90 feet away from scoring. A ground ball of the bat of Matt Marlow then brought Biageyian around to score to round out the seven-run affair for the Saints.   

Jake Porter (BYU) then entered the game in the ninth to close it down, setting down the side in order and closing out the Saints’ second straight shutout win of the season.    

Drew Cowley reached base in all five plate appearances of the game. Cowley says a lot of that is due to his focus on attacking pitches early in the count. “Just trying to jump on the first good pitch I see … just trying to be aggressive but not too aggressive.”  

Saints’ Assistant Head Coach David Feasler has praise for every facet of the team the last two days. “Our pitching staff and our defense … they haven’t given up a run in two games its fantastic … [the offense] is making adjustments pitch by pitch.” The Saints’ offense has undoubtedly been stellar lately, posting 18 runs over the last two games.   

Saints look to continue the momentum on Sunday, July 24 against the Conejo Oaks at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, Calif. at 1 pm PST. Follow along on the Saints’ Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, or tune into the live broadcast on YouTube!  

Player of the Game: Drew Cowley (Oregon)   

• 3-3, 2 R, 2 BB   

Contributors: 

• Saints’ Reporter Jackson Crawford (Texas) 
• Saints’ Photographer Angie Martinez (Mount St. Mary’s)