PASADENA, CA – The Arroyo Seco Saints (13-15) fell to the Conejo Oaks (20-9) on Thursday night at Jackie Robinson Field.  

Both teams had players selected into the California Collegiate League Showcase to represent the CCL South Division on Wednesday night. The CCL South picked up a win over the CCL North.  

The Oaks are currently ranked second in the CCL South and are on track to make the playoffs. The Saints are looking to get back in the win column to make the playoff cut in the next couple of games.  

The Saints’ coaching staff selected their two-way player, Cody Turner (Lee University), to get the job done for the squad.  

Turner didn’t allow any runs in the through the first and second innings despite the Oaks’ hitters getting a few base hits. Noah Williams (transfer portal) had a base hit in the bottom half of the first, but he couldn’t get across the plate.  

Coming into the game, Williams shared that he wanted to “keep it simple” at the plate after a few days off.  

The Saints weren’t able to put any runs on the board in the bottom of the second inning.  

In the third inning, Oaks’ outfielder Tommy Kendlinger (Biola University) hit a leadoff homerun to put his team on the board.  

The Saints couldn’t get past the Oaks’ starting pitcher Charlie Decker (Pugent Sound) through five innings, who put up five strikeouts in his outing.  

Jake Schwartz (Point Loma) got a base hit for the Oaks in the fourth and scored off an error, making the score 2-0. To extend their lead even further, Tyler Holley (Cal State Fullerton) had a 3-run shot over the wall for the second homerun of the night. The Oaks led the game 5-0 after the top of the fifth.  

At the top of the sixth, Jacob Galloway (Oregon State) put up a double and scored off an error to add one more to the board. Saints’ infielder Jacob Freer (Azusa Pacific) was able to score a run with an RBI single in the bottom half of the sixth.  

Saints’ pitcher Daniel Tovar (transfer portal) didn’t allow any runs in the seventh inning. Turner walked to get on base and Jackson Reed (Seattle University) put up a sacrifice fly to add another run for the Saints.  

Holley had his fourth RBI of the night in the top of the eighth, making the score 7-2. Williams added his third base hit of the night but couldn’t knock in any runs in the bottom half of the eighth inning.  

In the final inning of the game, the Oaks didn’t put any runs on the board, but the Saints added one more with an RBI single from Jax Ryan (Missouri State), tallying the final score to 7-3.  

Offensively, the Saints had eight hits, and three of those hits were from Williams. In a post-game interview, Williams shared how important it is to get on base in the leadoff spot. 

“I’m supposed to set the tone,” Williams said. “I’m just trying to get the job done, get on, steal bags, and get into scoring position.”  

Tovar had three strikeouts and only allowed two hits. While sitting in the transfer portal, Tovar mentioned how he has been working on his mechanics this summer.  

“I really grinded this summer with our coaches,” Tovar said. “They got me to where I am today.” 

Tovar also explained that he didn’t have a hat before the game but suddenly found it. Not sure if he was going to pitch, finding his hat led him to his longest outing of the season.  

Up next, the Saints look to face the Orange County Riptide on Friday night at Jackie Robinson Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. PST.  

Contributors:

• Saints reporter Taylor Dowdy
• Photographer Jordan Teller